My Dreams Start With You
by PhoenixDiamond
Summary: Football's always been Sesshomaru's passion. The smell of the field, the scream of the crowd, the beat of the moment. He loved every minute of it. There was only one other passion he held dear; knowing Inuyasha was in the crowd cheering him on. However, on the night of the playoffs, Inuyasha didn't show. That'd been four years ago. EDITTING IN PROGRESS
1. Prologue: Decisions

**Title: **My Dream Starts With You

**Disclaimer: **I own nada and make nada. Inuyasha and crew belong to someone else.

**Pairings: **Sesshomaru/Inuyasha, Naraku/Koga, a few mentions of others.

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Heavy angst, violence, G, deception, adult content, homosexual relations only, urban blend, out of character attitudes. If none of these appeal to you, seek another plot elsewhere.

**Summary: **Football's always been Sesshomaru's passion. The smell of the field, the scream of the crowd, the beat of the moment. He loved every minute of it. There was only one other passion he held dear; knowing Inuyasha was in the crowd to cheer him on. However, on the night of the playoffs, Inuyasha didn't show.

**Author's Rant: **Hurricane Isaac kicked my ass for a while but I'm recovered and hopefully back in the mix of updates. This story's different from my usual style. The feel of speech is slightly urban and more southern. None of that fluffy wuffy stuff. Enjoy. ^_^

* * *

******Prologue**: Decisions

University of Alabama was in immaculate thrill tonight. Crimson and white bleed all over the parking lots, mixed in the crowds and painted faces. It was the fight of the year, the match of the season, the prepared ultimate showdown between the two rivaling colleges of the country.

Auburn University vs. University of Alabama on their home turf. Red and white blanketed the Jordan Hare Stadium like a Dexter murder scene. Fans were screaming, and presenting their proud school colors overhead. Auburn's crew took up the other half of the stadium, completely dividing the place in navy and orange streamers, paints, war eagle symbols and audible shouts of vengeance for last year's defeat.

The bedlam commotion rattled inside the Alabama locker room like a set of loose keys. Everyone in offense and defense position was ready to start the lineup. In the back corner was the Alabama's Linebacker, Naraku Espada, getting the hype built up with salty trash talk and adding the extra boost was the team's safety, Hoshiyomi.

"Who run this?"

"Ba-ma!" The team shouted.

"Who dish the ass whoopings?"

"Ba-ma!"

"We ready!"

"Ah!"

"We ready!"

"AH!"

"WE READY, WE READY, WE READY, WE READY!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hoshiyomi walked in the middle, tossing a towel over his shoulder, "Yo, yo, yo,yo check this out. Auburn out there stretching and prepping like some got'damn ballerinas. What we say about that Naraku?"

Naraku hoped up on the bench, shirtless and hair a shaggy flash of black on his shoulders, "We say we need to remind them that football ain't a contract sport. It's a battle. We collided, divided and fuck up ankles and legs and arms," He hoped off grinning better than a great white. "But hey, hey, hey listen up. Coach says winning ain't everything," He paused. "But shit, I'm tryin' to get laid and losing ain't gonna get me some ass!"

"WHOOP!"

Hoshiyomi held up his hand and started sniffing the air, "Hold up, hold up, hold up, ya'll," He dragged in a long dramatic sniff. "Hm, damn what's that smell? You smell that?"

Naraku smiled even wider, "Yeah, yeah I smell it. Ya'll smell that too?

"Yeahhhhh.""

"I smell, I smell, I smell—"

"PUSSIES!" The team chorused together.

Sesshomaru stood to the back, scouring around inside his locker for something to tie his hair back when the team's running back smacked the side of his door. The dog demon's hazel eyes turned liquid gold as he glared down his counsin for trying to catch him off guard.

"Who you staring at like that, son?" Grunted Naraku. He dropped the half-naked act for a red and white striped sleeveless Under Armor shirt, and his pants and cleats.

Sesshomaru went back to scavenging through his locker. "You, that's who. Move," He closed the door shut and sat on the bench. "You got an extra hair tie?"

"Naw, gave the last one to Hoshiyomi. If his stupid ass trip again Coach said he's gonna warm the bench for the rest of next year," Naraku sucked his teeth, rocking his neck from side to side. "You nervous?"

"Hell no," Said Sesshomaru. "What I got to be nervous about?"

"Tanaki Goki is out there scouting that's why. We play our cards right, we both gonna be rocking the Saints next year," Sesshomaru wished Naraku would lose that stupid grin. It made him think about the cat who ate the canary with extra A1 sauce. "Annnnnd I heard Tsukuyomaru's got it out for you for laying his ass out last year."

"So? Like I give a damn about his feelin's."

The response was a cold shut down of_ I'm not in the mood to talk_. Naraku gave Sesshomaru a funny look before he lightly popped him on the back of the head, "What's got your drawers shitty?"

"Nothing," Sesshomaru stood after he tied on his cleats and stuffed his pads inside his pants.

"Ah, come on man. That's what cousins are for right? What's eating you," The spider demon asked. Then decided to solve the mystery on his own. "You and Inuyasha got into it again, didn't you?"

"Nothing, alright? Just drop it," Sesshomaru's attitude dripped slower than snow fall and twice as cold.

"Hey, whatever. Its whatever," Hell, Naraku knew when to take a hint. "You just better not let it get you caught up on the field I know that much—acting all pissed and shit over some ass. Man pu-lease," Naraku returned back to his side of the locker room to finish putting on his gear.

Naraku didn't understand. No, Naraku understood enough to call it crazy for his cousin to be acting this way. Sesshomaru didn't expect him too. What he went through earlier was no doubt going to rain on his parade and dampen half the school's faith in him. Sesshomaru wanted to blame all his troubles, all his anger and all his lack of focus on one nineteen year old sophomore named Inuyasha.

Gorgeous son of a bitch, walking on two mile legs and enough hair to sew a quilt. If it wasn't for Inuyasha being as fine as he was, Sesshomaru would . . . he would—God why was the boy so hard to deal with sometimes? The bastard hanyou had to go and ruin this special night with his attitude.

What was one little word anyway? All he had to say was yes and he fucks it up with a no. Sesshomaru hadn't ever felt so rejected in his life. They'd been dating for three, long, long, _long_ years, and knew each other even longer. What more was there besides making it permanent?

Sesshomaru wanted to get married. Inuyasha wasn't ready. The hanyou was claiming some B.S. about his freedom and studies getting compromised if he got married too soon. Wasn't that some of the craziest whiplash shit you'd ever heard. Didn't Inuyasha understand how lucky he was to be with Sesshomaru? Sesshomaru had men and women flocking to his dorm room and his locker for autographs and a taste of what he was only and faithfully keeping for Inuyasha.

Just thinking about the argument pissed him off all over again.

* * *

"_No."_

"_What?"_

"_No. I said no," Inuyasha gripped the side of his hip, tilting his head to the side in a way Sesshomaru thought would make him back off the subject. "Why are you making things so complicated? What's wrong with the way things are?"_

_Sesshomaru gave him a stupid glare, "What's wrong with—you're not serious. I want permanency and commitment, Inuyasha. I'm aiming for the big leagues and I want you as my husband not my play boy."_

"_I understand all that but what about what I want? I'm not ready. I only have two years left for school, why can't we put off the engagement until then? I'm not going to date anyone else while you're away. I only want you."_

"_You say that shit now but what about in the long haul? Like I want you hanging around in the house with some other Alpha and—" Lord help him, if Sesshomaru ever caught Inuyasha with another demon he'd set the whole world ablaze. Sesshomaru shook the murderous thoughts away to focus on the attitude-rearing hanyou. "How do you think I feel knowing that I'm in training camp and you're off free to do whatever you want? Cameras and journalists will be stalking you and I need some assurance that when I come home, I won't see you on the front page doin' something stupid. I want the world to see you as Inuyasha Espada, not Inuyasha Shikon. I don't believe in that shacking up shit."_

"_Ok, Ok, whoa," Inuyasha cackled like a banshee, flipping his right hand up and down like swatting at a fIy. "So I'm the unfaithful one? Correct me if I'm wrong, 'cause I'll drink your bath water if I am, but who was it that got caught walking out of Trinity Lockhart's dormroom last year?" _

_Low blow. He didn't have to do that. Sesshomaru wanted so bad to roll his eyes but held the gesture back in case he'd make the situation worse, "You didn't have to go there."_

"_Right and you didn't either, but I'm not gonna stop going to school just to please you. What the hell you take me for huh? It's obvious you don't respect me enough that I want to have as much of an education as you."_

"_You don't need school. I'm liable for first draft pick babe. I'll make more than you ever could on some little degree."_

"_There's no guarantee you'll always be there Sesshomaru. I'll need to take care of myself if that time comes. I can't rely on you for everything."_

_Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed paper thin, "You're sayin' that like you know we're gonna break up. Is that how you see our future?"_

"_No . . . but I'm being realistic. You getting drafted. Great for you Sess, but shit that's when the real stuff might drive us apart. You talkin' about getting married already and me dropping out of school? I don't know what's gonna go through your head when you get a taste of the limelight. I gotta look out for number one when your dick's looking for the next number two."_

"_And you really think I'm going to waste my time with all those groupies? You're the one I want to marry. Sluts and hoes are a dime a dozen. You? You're that one in a million. So just say yes. Please?" Sesshomaru had worked his way up to Inuyasha, arms carefully winding around his waist. "Please, don't make me beg," He buried his nose and sniffed in all of Inuyasha's fresh shower scent. _

_Inuyasha let himself get tugged into the embrace as he dropped his forehead on his boyfriend's shoulder, "Just give me some time," He lifted his head, trying to meet Sesshomaru's eyes." If you love me as much as you say, you'll wait for me. No matter how long I take."_

* * *

The night shouldn't have ended like that. Inuyasha never gave his answer and they both left with nothing more then bird kisses on the cheek. Sesshomaru drove back to his side of the school, heated.

_Trying to play him for a fool_. Of course Sesshomaru loved him. What kind of shit was that? If Sesshomaru loved Inuyasha, he'd wait? Inuyasha didn't know what he wanted. Sesshomaru was on the top ten list for first draft pick and sure to sign a contract with enough stacks to put down IHOP. Wasn't that enough? Security, commitment, and endless pleasure.

Sesshomaru sighed and rolled his neck from side to side. He needed to get a grip.

He hated getting worked up before a game. It caused cramps. They were going up against Auburn tonight and he needed to train all his anger out on the other team. Besides there was one thing he could count on about Inuyasha, even if the boy wasn't loyal about the marriage thing.

He was going to be in the front row, near the rail with his friends cheering Sesshomaru on. Inuyasha was always the first of fans to be there. And that was enough to pump Sesshomaru up for action tonight.

* * *

This should've been the night he was out celebrating his boyfriend's big night. Inuyasha should've been out there. He should've gone. Instead the hanyou had taken to destroying his bed, smashing the mirrors inside his bedroom, ripping off the wall papers and wrecking the rest of the dorm. Everything was torn to shreds but even as he walked back into the bathroom minutes later, nothing had changed.

"Shit," He hissed and choked. "Shit, shit shit!"

Inuyasha swallowed the sour bile, leaning all of his weight on the side of the bathroom sink as if it could take away his woes . . . his regrets. He was a quivering wreck, hair matted on the side of his face from dried tears, hands shaking so bad he thought he was going into shock. No matter how many times he stared at the white stick, the lines were there clear as sunshine.

There were two of them. Bright blue parallel figures hovering inside the oval glass.

There were so many emotions running through his mind, in his head, in his heart. This couldn't be happening. It was wrong. This was all wrong.

"FUCK!" Inuyasha rammed his fist into the mirror, bursting glass shards all around his feet. The pain was a numb ache but nothing compared the shallow agony flaming the pits of his stomach. It hurt so much. His body trembled worse than his hands. Inuyasha curled into a tight ball on the floor, gripping the floor mats between his fingers. "Sesshomaru," He groaned. Even saying his man's name hurt. Inuyasha hiccupped, sobbed, and cried for the third time that night, unable to control the wild urge in his head.

He had no choice. This couldn't happen. He wasn't ready for it. Inuyasha wasn't ready.

Oh God, if Sesshomaru found out—he'd kill him.

Inuyasha's shivers turned into massive quakes. He shoved his fist into his mouth as a gurgling sob erupted from his throat. "Ouch," He wheezed as the tight squeeze on his heart clenched like a vise. He couldn't stay here. The damage was done. There was no way to reverse what was done. Inuyasha felt the queasy disgust come back as hot as acidic poison and crawled pitifully to the toilet bowl, emptying out the sweaty shame and terrible guilt.

It wasn't enough to change how he felt. It just made him feel hollow. Inuyasha stood on legs made of jelly and walked without aim to the phone. His fingers stopped shaking just long enough to dial the seven digit numbers.

The phone rang. Inuyasha held his breath until the line picked up.

"Hey. . ." He rubbed under his nose and closed his eyes tight. "I need a ride."

* * *

**TBC: Sooooo . . . shall we see what happens next?**


	2. Prologue ll: Decisions

**Author's Rant:** Well damn. Lol I love you guys. Consider this my warm up story in order to get back in the mix of updates. Thanks a million.

**Warning:** Probably some typos.

* * *

**Prologue ll: Decisions**

* * *

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

Walking out on that stretch of green always gave that bumbling burst of fireworks in Sesshomaru's stomach. He was an ant compared the span of this stadium and listening of the crowds enthusiasm was overwhelmingly terrible ego boost. Especially when he so much as blinked at a section the whole area would sway like a floating buoy. That was part of the reason he savored football: the fans, the cheer, and the dependence they had for their team to provide them with unpredictability.

They trust them to give them the show of a lifetime and the win to carry on until the next game. Sesshomaru spied the left front row corner of the stadium where his family, friends and Inuyasha normally sat during the game. It'd be difficult to pick out their faces over the seas of colors but he knew they were there. He could feel it.

"Southsiddddde!" Naraku shouted during the rundown of Alabama's third touchdown in second quarter. Coach had to pull him off the field twice for running on to cheer like a tipsy cheerleader. He let the hype molest him and enjoyed it the sadistic fool he was. "Let him have it Hoshi! Don't let them pussies waste you brah. Take 'em out!"

The kick wasn't a success for the goal but who cared. Listen to the crowd.

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

"Hey you, over there! Check out that score!"

The glaring black scoreboard read 23-10, Alabama leading the way naturally. Auburn had them spooked for that first quarter when Tsukuyomaru scored the first touchdown, but after Sesshomaru laid him out four minutes in, the bat demon had been staggering half-cocked since. Sesshomaru could feel evil ju ju rolling his rival's eyes like a sweaty acid from across the field.

Sesshomaru sat on the bench stretching his right leg for the next bout when Naraku came bouncing over, "Mannn," He propped down next to his younger cousin, grinning like he won the lottery. "Did you see Hoshiyomi handle number 29? Old dude didn't stand a chance."

"You better not slip up like you did against Florida," Sesshomaru grunted during a long pull. "Father says he bet Uncle Takemaru fifty dollars you'd take a nose dive."

The smile vanished right away. Sesshomaru hid his during a waist bend out of Naraku's sight. "Oh word, it's like that?" Naraku surged up to his feet, scanning the crowd of faces as if he'd be able to pinpoint his uncle with his eyes alone. "Uncle always wanna talk smack but can't back shit up with his old ass—There he is right there too. Looking like a ashy can of biscuits. I can't believe Daddy gonna play me like that."

Sesshomaru glanced over the same direction as Naraku. Sure enough their family was right where he spotted them. How the hell he managed to do that when he couldn't?

"Anyway," Naraku snapped Sesshomaru out his search. "Glad to see you in better shape. You had me worried for a minute, son."

"Yeah," Sesshomaru muttered before sliding off the bench. He was getting there anyway. During half the game he'd been thinking of the different ways he and Inuyasha needed to go about talking things out. The way they parted could've went better than it had. Around three minutes till the end of second quarter was when he'd made up his mind to be the bigger man and call Inuyasha during half time. Sesshomaru would apologize, they'd make up and things could roll back into place as they should.

Yeah. Yeah that would work.

"Ohhhhhh!" The crowd sighed and booed at an unfair call by the ref. A ten yard penalty for Alabama.

"Unfair call!" Shouted one of the fans. "Refs were bribed! Get 'em off the field!"

Coach rolled his eyes after talking with the referees, "Offensive line you're up!"

"That's us baby," Naraku whooped, pulling down his helmet on the side lines.

As Sesshomaru pulled his helmet around, he took a side study of the stands first, wishing he'd catch a quick glimpse of Inuyasha before he took the field. Oodles of faces smashed into one another like a vomit canvas, but he saw some familiar faces fist pumping the air and his cousin Kagura fluffing out her t-shirt with the crimson tide elephant on the front. Beside her was her girlfriend Midoriko holding their two year old son, Hakudoshi, both of them painted from the neck up in red and white war paint. His uncle Takemaru, aunt Izayoi, his daddy InuTaisho and mama Tsukiko were rattling the rails and waving a large yellow banner with his name and number.

Sesshomaru didn't see Inuyasha. Not a sign of those puppy dog ears he loved to whisper in or stroke until the boy started looking at him from beneath those long eyelashes.

Damn he must be more upset over the fight then assumed. No, that was dumb. They'd had worse fights where half the dormitory would hear their voices echoing from the top floor and sure as rain, Inuyasha would still arrive on time to catch his man owning the field.

"Sesshomaru get your ass out there !" Coach snatched Sesshomaru out of his pondering. The crowd revived with excitement.

"Coming Coach!" Sesshomaru stole another desperate glance at the stands before he took off to the front line. Inuyasha would have to wait. For now, he needed to stay focused on the goal. If he allowed himself to get distracted Tsukuyomaru would take him out of the game without a second breath. Just call him during half time, chat it out a little bit, make up and then set up a time to talk it out in person. That's all there was too it.

Sesshomaru lined himself behind the lineman, catching a small signal out of his eye from Naraku. Sesshomaru didn't need to know who he was talking about. The dark skinned asshole was right across from him, wearing all that orange and navy like a Crayola joke. Those violet eyes were livid and like a fuel to an already burning fire, Sesshomaru let the adrenaline fill his veins. His smile was a wild mix of taunting and psychotic mania.

"Don't fuck up Sesshomaru," He heard Naraku spout from the side.

"I got it," Sesshomaru hunkered down, hands cupped. His eyes switched from side to side, letting the men know the deal. He called the play and the pigskin snapped into his hands. Auburn's linebacker took the right, with the safety coming around him. He waited for an opening. Seeing two opens, and the one he needed open blocked by the linemen.

Shit.

Sesshomaru balled the ball back and took the run, devouring the field in long legged strides. The crowd roared like something out of Jason, it was so crazy. Sesshomaru got around to the thirty second yard line before Auburn took him down under with over seven hundred pounds of sweat, grass and bodies. The referees blew their whistles to make the calls.

Sesshomaru got pulled up several different ways, some ass slaps and a couple of helmet smacks for a good job. Breathing in between pants and catching his wind, he took a chance at staring at the stands again but getting the same results. Nothing but the same family, friend and faces. Damn Inuyasha. Either he really was pissed or the snack lines were wrapped around the building. Inuyasha was never late for a game.

Ever. He'd be there before the team buses, snacks, drinks and smile in place. Sesshomaru got a little worried.

"Fuck," He hissed, tasting sweat and anger in the one word. _Was marrying me that much of a bad idea you'd stay home Inuyasha? What the hell. . ._

"His pussy ass ain't about shit," Some growled and cackled from the opposing team. "I'll catch him before he touch the five yard line."

So, somebody got some kind of death wish then. Sesshomaru saw the smart mouth lining up for the next play. That's cool. He needed to let off some steam.

"You alright man?" Naraku asked him, passing through the crouching men.

"I'm cool. Listen, you taking the run from here. You see that one there," Sesshomaru pointed out the silver haired demon he knew had been the one talking noise. "I'm lighting his ass off the ground."

"Who—Ohhh you mean Hakakku? Shit, you ain't say nothing but a word."

The refs called the teams down for the next call. Sesshomaru eyeballed the fool and Tsukuyomaru. He made the call, grasped the ball and pulled back a few paces. Naraku stole off to the left and not the anticipated right. Hakakku took after him the minute Sesshomaru pitched the ball that way.

_I got your ass now._

Just as predicted Hakakku wasn't watching Sesshomaru, too focused on running behind Naraku as he hugged the sidelines. The cocky ass didn't see Sesshomaru coming from behind before he had a mouth full of grass and some tender ribs to boot.

"Ah, you son of a bitch!" Hakakku wailed when Sesshomaru rolled off to the side.

Sesshomaru kneeled by the wolf demon's head, face shrouded in stadium lights. The angle gave him that superior god glam he wanted to intimidated the prick. "Catch that. Stupid ass," He added, climbing to his feet.

The play placed them at the three yard line with a minute three seconds to go. Naraku cheered with his hands smacking the back of his ass, singing Pony Ride. Time was winding down fast. Good. Sesshomaru was going to finish this up fast. He was itching to get to his cell phone.

* * *

Koga walked through the door, his face melted into slacked disbelief. "The fuck. . ." He whispered.

The entire place was in shambles. Love seats and couches were tossed to the side, broken glass sprinkled across the floor, sheets of magazine pages laid crumbled and tore, wall pictures were either dangling off a nail or shattered on the floor. Koga crept through the mess, thinking he was going through an old war zone. He dropped his keys on a table that somehow made it through the calamity, and carefully walked through the dorm room.

"Hey!" He shouted out to anyone inside. Inuyasha shared this room with another guy named Reikotsu. No doubt he hadn't made it in yet cause if he had, he'd be raising all kinds of ape shit. Just look at this place.

Koga explored the whole place from top to bottom looking for Inuyasha. He knew something was amiss from how tattered his best friend's voice sounded. Almost like listening to a hollowed egg shell.

Something rustled from down the hall. Koga noticed after he was stepping around an overturned plant. "Inuyasha?" Koga went back. He thought he heard it come from the bathroom and pressed his ear against it. Sniffles, and harsh coughing erupted from the other side. "Inuyasha," he called a little stronger. "You in there?"

No reply. Just more snotty nosed grunts. Koga tested the door knob, with a few jingles. It turned but shot open before he could it open himself. Inuyasha stood there tear streaks, tangled hair clumps and ears looking like they'd been raked over with a kitchen fork. God damn he looked like something out of Skeleton Key.

"Inuyasha, the hell?" Koga ducked inside the bathroom. "What's going on with you? You called saying to give you a ride and hang up? And the hell went on in the living room?"

Inuyasha's ears sagged, "Oh that."

"_Oh that_?" Koga's expression was divided between incredibility and pissivity. "You shittin' me right? I open the door to find it tore up the floor up and all you can muster up is an _Oh that_?" His voice rose word for word until he matched a Barbie call. "What's going on with you?"

"I'm pregnant."

Lightning could've struck between them and carved their names on the wall, but it wouldn't have surprised Koga as much as he was right now. Koga shook his face as if ice water had been poured over him and reached out to grip Inuyasha's shoulders, "That's great man. That's," He couldn't find the right words for the situation if Inuyasha wasn't in the best of moods for it. He didn't look at all happy. "That's great news."

"No, it's not," Inuyasha dropped his head on Koga's chest, breathing hard and raspy, "I don't want this baby, Ko. I can't."

"You're not rea—Inuyasha you ain't gonna go through this alone. You have us here. And you know how Sesshomaru is. He's gonna be thrilled to hear—"

Inuyasha went hysterical, "NO! YOU CAN'T TELL HIM! I DON'T WANT HIM KNOWING SHIT ABOUT THIS, YOU HEAR! HE CAN'T KNOW!" He was shaking Koga senseless. "He mustn't know. He ain't ready to be a father and I ain't either. This'll fuck up his career. I can't do that to him!"

"Yash', Yash' slow down, whoa," Koga wrung himself free and shook Inuyasha in turn. "Are you outta your mind? Sesshomaru ain't gonna care about that. He'll want to be a daddy. All he never tell folks is how you gonna give him his own football team."

Inuyasha's head viciously twisted left and right as if expecting Sesshomaru to walk through the front door, "No, no, no, no, no, you're not listening to me. He can't find out. You gotta take me to the clinic. I can't have this baby. We're not ready."

This reaction wasn't one Koga was expecting or the sudden rush of tears painting Inuyasha's face with ugly stains. He hiccupped and chirped like a terrified child, eyes big as saucers. His entire body was vibrating, "Ok, just relax," Koga coaxed, hands raised up. "I know you're scared, but that shit comes naturally with having your first baby. Inuyasha," he gripped his best friend's hand, soothing the quivers with gentle strokes. "Think about what you're saying. You don't wanna hurt this baby. It ain't do shit to deserve this. Take some deep breaths and think."

Inuyasha hung his head low, "You don't understand," He whispered through his hair. "I can't. I don't want this baby. Please," He crumbled down to the floor, dragging all his weight on Koga until they were both on the floor.

"Inuyasha, look," Koga started heavily wishing he had some support for this. "I don't want you to make any decisions you'll regret. If you do what I think you wanna do, this shit is gonna eat you alive."

"You don't think it already is? I've agonized over this since I found out. I keep hoping this is some cruel fucking joke but when I keep looking back at that stick, all I see is blue."

Koga licked his lips, wavering down a path he didn't want any part of. This was an odd situation to be in. Koga was stuck between doing what he felt was right or helping Inuyasha in something he'd regret in the long haul. And watching the hanyou in the worse emotional state he's ever been in was gaining more points with the latter. Koga finally sighed long and drained through his nose, "Are you sure?"

Inuyasha nodded against his chest, fingers tangled and wadded in his t-shirt.

"Alright," Koga stood with Inuyasha as one and helped him out the door.

Koga knew. Both him and Inuyasha knew. This was going to be the longest drive of their lives.

* * *

"Damn," Nothing but his voice mail. Sesshomaru clenched his phone like it was the blasted thing's fault Inuyasha wasn't picking up. He'd called five times, left two short voice mails and God knows how many text messages.

Inuyasha hadn't replied to a single one. Did he have to work today? No, Enterprise always gave Inuyasha Fridays off. It was the only requested time he asked for.

Then, was he really that mad? Sesshomaru pushed his sodden fringe off his forehead, scratching at his crescent moon. This was bothering him. If Inuyasha was as upset as he was, he would've texted to say he didn't want to be bothered or outright cussed out Sesshomaru. Either of those would've been just fine because at least that meant he was acknowledging his boyfriend enough to say, '_I love you but I'm still pissed at your lanky ass.'_

Sesshomaru dialed the ten digit number one more time just as the three minute warning was called in the locker room.

_Hi, this is Inuyasha. I'm out walking my donkey right now, but as soon as I get my ass back in, I'll be sure to call. God bless! Beep_

Damn his voicemail again. Well, it was better than nothing. "Hey baby, it's me," Sesshomaru blew hard as he reached up to compress all the stress from between his eyes. "Listen I'm gonna be straight with you. I don't like the way we ended things and we need to talk. I don't know what it is about the thought of marrying me, but if it scares you that bad we can wait. . . I'm willing to wait if that makes you happy." He chuckled suddenly. "Shit, I'm willing to do anything if it means you'll talk to me. I'll wait forever if that's what it takes. But—shit Inuyasha just call me back. _Please,_" He added in more rough than need be. "I'm not trying to scare you off. You mean too much to me for that . . . I love you."

The phone clicked off before he could say anything else incriminating on his emotions. _Guess I went a little overboard. _Sesshomaru stared at the wallpaper screen of a photo he and Inuyasha took last year at the Gulf State Fair. It was his favorite one.

No, not overboard. Not enough. When the game was over he planned to hold Inuyasha down and make him listen. Pissed or not Sesshomaru would be damned if they let this relationship go over some bullshit.

He loved that fool too much for that.

* * *

Walking out of Sacred Heart Clinic—the irony of that name was barbaric—felt worse than walking to his grave. Inuyasha's pasty face turned darker shades of green as he gripped the door handle and pushed. The door felt like it weighed a ton. Lips curled and uncurled, sucked and dried between his teeth. His tongue became swelled like a bed for the vomit threatening to pour from his mouth.

He was dizzy. "Koga."

"I got you," Koga appeared right by his side, anchoring his arm around Inuyasha's waist. "Easy, easy."

"I can't believe this."

Koga didn't answer him. He only glared out the corner of his eye and had a whole other look for the clinic behind them. "Let's just get you back to the dorms."

Back to the dorms. "Sesshomaru's gonna find out," Inuyasha wept so quiet and broken.

"Yeah," Koga answered him after he got them situated inside his 1987 Cutlass. "He probably will."

Inuyasha sagged down deep in his seat and turned to stare out the window. Sesshomaru was going to find out. There's no question about it. Inuyasha roughly scratched at the tears dropping from his eyes, anger for still crying. It was over and done with now. He was going to have to live with these consequences. It was just facing them that was the hardest part of all.

He didn't think he could. Sesshomaru's expression would murder him as a blade twisting in his heart. He couldn't own up to it. Inuyasha couldn't face him. He wouldn't face him.

There weren't a lot of options.

Well, he would just have to make some. Sesshomaru would be grateful to him by the time the night was over. He'd hurt for a while, but. . . in the end it'd be for the best.

When Koga dropped Inuyasha off home, he offered to stay until Reikotsu returned from wherever he was. Inuyasha declined the offer, saying he'd be already. He just wanted some alone time. Truth be told, he couldn't bear the company.

A decision was made the instant he stepped through Sacred Heart and another as soon as he stepped out the double doors.

Inuyasha crossed the destroyed threshold to his bedroom with a one tracked mind and mission determined to complete it in time. He snatched a piece of paper from his notebook and began to write. Not with his mind or his heart. He wrote in a way that would get Sesshomaru to leave him alone. Something that'd tear his soul apart so much so, he'd never come for him again.

Sesshomaru will never look his way again.

He won't bother to care what Inuyasha's doing.

Because when Inuyasha left, it'd be the best thing that ever happened for Sesshomaru.

And knowing he'd be just fine without him was what tore Inuyasha's heart in half and allowed the tears to soak his letter.

* * *

**TBC: Ok that's it. Time for the story to begin and Time skip!**


	3. Onward

**Author's Rant**: Let's see how things are four years later. Please excuse mistakes.

* * *

**Onward**

* * *

It was a long, long, long Wednesday morning. Long and incredibly frustrating. Coach Herman had the Atlanta Falcons practicing since six this morning in hopes of knocking his star quarterback out of whatever funk he was in.

No such luck.

The damn rookie just wasn't in his usual element. They were playing against the Panthers next week and they didn't have time for some petty, feminine problems. There weren't going to be any playoffs at this rate.

Coach Herman just didn't know what to do with the boy. His passes were terrible, his speed was lagging, and god, don't get him started on messing up the plays. Like now they were running a secret escape that was literally fool proof to work. Of course, leave it to Sesshomaru to jack it up playing something totally different. His passes were crisp and tight, they were neither too short and clumsy, or long and airy. The players on the sidelines were left watching the pitifulness, mumbling behind their helmets and some shaking their heads, just as perplexed as their coach.

The clipboard in his hand shifted under his armpit so he could massage his nose and his eyes. The doctor said, _don't stress yourself or you'll get another hemorrhoid_. Wow and he left his blood pressure pills in the office. Damn.

The whistle let out a sharp shrill. "Let's call it a day boys!" The defensive and offensive lines stopped mid play, exchanging bewildered looks. It wasn't even passed one o'clock and he was already calling practice? Shit they weren't going to complain. The men shuffled off the field going straight to the showers. Sesshomaru was the last to come off the field, after removing his shoulder pads and jersey in a jerky motion. By the time he reached the walk down hall, he was gripping his helmet hard enough to bend the face mask.

He couldn't believe this. Trust this day to be the one before they played the Panthers. And it still affected him as it had four years ago.

The anger built so rapidly he smashed his helmet against the brick wall and splinters of red acrylic went flying. It did nothing to lessen the rage, the humiliation and bitterness in his mind. Sesshomaru was a stomping fireball when he entered the locker room, knowing all eyes were on him and knowing the reason the place went silent because of him. Even his locker neighbor, Muso refused to say a word to him.

That was fine by him. Sesshomaru didn't feel like explaining himself to anybody. He grabbed his towel, body wash and shower shoes and went for the wash room. He cleaned with vigor scrubs, jerky scrubs and harsh scrubs until his skin was littered in red blotches. Later when he came back, dressed in some black jersey shorts and a red under armor, most of the locker room was empty except for Muso. He'd recently got recruited on the team two years ago as Running Back just like his brother, Naraku. The media ate up the television about the Espada men taking over the NFL industry. There was one more little man, Bankotsu, attending Florida State who was already making a name for himself as an excellent linebacker. He was a shoe in for the draft when he reached senior year.

Muso was nothing but skin and bones, lanky as a twig and easy to break. It was a wonder Herman let him on as Running Back, when he weighed about a buck sixty, dripping wet. Perhaps it was that speed that kept him going because Sesshomaru had to admit his cousin was a feather on that field.

Muso was sitting on the bench, waiting, face twisted to the side, "You wanna talk about what's got you in a funk?"

"Not really," Sesshomaru said, propping down next to him to tie his shoes. "If I did, you would be the first to know."

"Since when did I have to wait?"

"Since today," Sesshomaru stood. "We'll talk later."

"Cool, _later_ can be today at Mama House," Muso rose too, grabbing his duffle back and the rest of his gear. "Naraku said he's gonna kick your ass for last year too."

"Tell Naraku to learn how to dodge on the right instead of left. I get him with that play every time."

Muso gasped, "You want me to give him our secrets?"

"I could give him the whole playbook and he'd still run the same damn way." Sesshomaru made to walk away, "In any case, tell him and everybody else I don't know if I'm gonna come. I don't feel like having company today."

"I'm not telling mama that shit. So she'll have me dangling by my balls?_ You_ tell her."

"Aunt Izzy ain't that bad."

"Then _you tell her_," Muso repeated pointedly. "Besides man, she's gonna wanna see her favorite nephew with her favorite son."

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow, "Bankotsu's coming too?"

Muso looked put off, "Fuck you, I'm my mama's baby boy. Bank was a screw up," He hiked up his bag and shoved passed Sesshomaru going for the double doors. "Dinner's at six. Naraku, Kagura, Midoriko, Koga— shit the whole clan's gonna be there. You either come, or I'm telling Daddy you waste that Kool Aid in his Cadillac last Christmas."

Sesshomaru would've threatened him with something else his cousin did while they were kids, but knew it was pointless. They'd be in there all day trading threats and blackmail until he gave in. Sesshomaru shook his banes off his eyes and sighed, "Fine, tell 'em I'll be there. I need to talk to Coach and handle some errands before I come."

Muso smiled every tooth in his mouth, "Alright then, I'll tell her to save you some yams and mac with cheese." He waved and went through the doors.

Then he poked his head back in with a new expression, "Brah, you need to let that go for real. It's been four going on five years. I betcha' he ain't thinking shit about you and you shouldn't give him the benefit. You letting this mess up your play. Don't bring that shit to Mama and Daddy's table tonight ok? I ain't got time for Naraku's mouth and Kagura's bitchin'. Just enjoy the moment. Kay?" Muso tossed him a salute, then left. He didn't come back this time.

Let it go huh? Easier said than done. It's only been, what, four years? It'll be the end of the year before he knew it. But Sesshomaru couldn't shake that night out of his head. After the playoffs, he'd went straight to Inuyasha's dorm home full of drunken cheer and ready to pour his heart out. Seeing the dorm in such a wreck sent a chill colder than his ice berg down his spine. Sesshomaru tore through the place calling Inuyasha's name, thinking the worse had happened.

Then he came to Inuyasha's bedroom, found it closed and it took him ten minutes to open the door because he'd been scared shitless of finding a dead body. Imagine the relief and shallow dread in his heart when he walked inside to find it a mess and a piece of paper on Inuyasha's bed. There was one line of words on that paper. Just one.

_I'm sorry Sesshomaru. I can't do this with you. I hope you find happiness in your life, but it can't be with me. I'm not the one for you._

The paper erupted in flames before his fingers before Sesshomaru realized his eyes burned just as hot. It'd taken only once to read that and he still remembered it clear as daylight. Sesshomaru hated Inuyasha ever since then. The bastard had taken the coward's way out of their relationship, never explaining why or what went wrong. He didn't even fucking bother to figure out if they could fix it.

Sesshomaru sighed hard through his nose, closed and opened his eyes. What probably pissed him off more was what Muso said too. Let it go. Didn't he think he tried? There had been men, women, demons, humans, hanyous, all of them and none could measure up to the spark Inuyasha let inside of him. Sesshomaru would always find himself comparing them to that damn hanyou.

Because of Inuyasha he couldn't move on. Because of Inuyasha, he'd always expect his partners to measure up in some kind of way. Because of Inuyasha, he couldn't get passed this day without it tearing him in half. Because of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru knew he'd never move on.

Sesshomaru had stopped in front of his coach's office and been thinking the entire time outside. He collected himself and knocked on the door. Herman was leaning back in his chair, studying today's review tape, fingers clasped across his stomach. "Come in Espada," He sounded tired, and weary. "Might as well get this over with," He clicked the pause button on the DVD player.

Ironically on the moment when Sesshomaru got his face splattered in the ground.

"Damn," Sesshomaru sat in the chair in front of desk, gapping his legs wide. "Sorry Coach. I don't know what got into me today." He cupped his hands over his face and dragged down as if that'd erase the events on the television. "I'm losing focus."

Herman sighed, "It's alright but whatever it is eating at you, needs to be taken care of. _That _is far from what I expect from my team's star quarterback," He motioned to the TV monitor. "I'm giving ya'll the next day off. Maybe that'll give you some time to get your head cleared of whatever shit's got you messed up." Herman reached inside his desk drawer and handed Sesshomaru a stack of disks. "Come in Friday for the team meeting so we can go over the plays for Sunday. Until then, study that to see what it is we do and don't need happening on the field."

"Yes sir," Sesshomaru gathered what he was given and left out the door without another word. Coach had a threatening undertone in his voice. If Sesshomaru didn't get his act together he was going to be warming the bench for game and that was the last thing he needed right now. Sweat, the smell of fresh grass and piles of muscle were what he needed to clear his head.

Sesshomaru walked around the arena to the front parking lot where he parked his car. Some of the players lingered chatting about something or another, a couple asked if he wanted to go out for some drinks, but he declined.

He was inside his Tahoe when his cell started vibrating in his bag. Sesshomaru eased his hand inside and saw the name Red. Sesshomaru thought about ignoring the call. He really wasn't in the mood.

But then again maybe he could get in the mood with this one. He pressed enter and put the phone to his ear, "Yeah."

A pause over the phone before a syrupy purr said, "That's a fine way to say hello. You gret everybody that way or am I just special?"

"Depends on how I'm feeling," Sesshomaru cranked up the car and backed out. "You wanted anything?"

"Just to see how you were doing. You haven't called me in a week," The voice sassily pouted, or did what Sesshomaru assumed was a pout over the phone. "You don't miss me?"

God Sesshomaru hated being put on the spot, but damn if he was going to lie. "I've been too busy to think about anything." And it was the truth. "We're playing the Panther's next week. You know I need to keep my mind clear."

"Doesn't sound like your mind's all that clear to me. You sound tense."

Sesshomaru had to smile. Kyoura's perception was scarily accurate even when he wasn't right in front of you to see. That's how they met one night during a after party for the Raiders. Kyoura was the older brother of the Raider's Wide Receiver Ryura and he was the finest man Sesshomaru had ever laid eyes on, period.

Kyoura was dressed in leather from head to toe and wore it well. He had plump luscious lips that could suck the color off a wall. His waist was trim, had longs that went on miles, a bright heart shaped face, red wavy hair down to his ass and ruby red eyes. The exterior was the head start, but the conversation started the race. The phoenix demon was intelligent, held his own quite well and was in school studying to be a teacher for biology. He'd been the first to get Sesshomaru off Inuyasha in months and possibly been the closest to being the next steady.

Sesshomaru didn't see why he shouldn't take the jump. He had nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

"Perhaps you should release some of that tension," Kyoura sweetly hummed over the receiver. "I can think of a few ways to get your focus on something else."

Sesshomaru stopped at a red light, smile with half his mouth, "What you do you have in mind?"

"Maybe a movie some pool. I can have dinner ready when you come over."

"Skip it," Sesshomaru made a left turn at the stop sign when someone honked him to go. "We'll just go to dessert."

"What flavor you want the ice cream?"

"Surprise me."

Some laughter sung in his ear. Kyoura was getting as getty as a girl in a teddy store, "You better hurry then. I don't want it to melt."

"Yes you do," Sesshomaru's voice was a husky growl. "Then I'll be able to lick it clean."

"Nasty."

"You know you like it."

"You know I do," Kyoura chuckled sexily. "See you in a few." The phone clicked off. Sesshomaru felt a better already. Yeah this was exactly what he needed. A night with family and friends and a few hours with a sexy red head. Anything at all at this rate to keep his mind off of Inuyasha.

* * *

"Fuck," The clock on the nightstand glimmered a red 7:32 a.m.

He couldn't sleep. Just couldn't pull a little wink. Inuyasha tossed and turned in his bed for hours trying to hide the warmest place in bed or the coolest but all it was uncomfortable. His head was full and his stomach hurt. A terrible combination for sleep.

It seemed guilt was determined to make him feel like a sack of shit today. It was always like this either the night before or the night of _that day._ Inuyasha rolled over a second time, caught a mouth full of hair and feeling unusually hot. He hadn't messed with the thermostat did he? No. No. He didn't.

Inuyasha turned his head on his pillow, grunting as he propelled himself in a seated position, the sheets pooling around his waist as in a sleep like daze, he looked around in his bedroom as if seeing it for the first time. Where the hell was he again?

Oh yeah, bedroom.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

Inuyasha yawned and looked at the clock. 7:39 eh? Yeah it was about that time she woke up. "C'mon," he kept the blankets over his lower extremities, shaking off his sorrowful mood in exchange for a lopsided grin for his baby girl.

"Daddy," The crumbly wooden door creaked open and a tiny head of brilliant short black hair, two white ears and a sunshine smile to boot. Dressed in a pair of pink and yellow star one piece, little three year old Zaya shyly stepped inside her father's bedroom, eyes glued to the matted brown carpet as she shuffled her feet from side to side. "Mornin' Daddy."

"Good mornin' baby girl. Where my hug at?"

Zaya kept her eyes floored, bottom lip poked out as her feet slid on the ground until making it to the bed and hoping up on the edge, crawling into Inuyasha's outstretched arms.

"Why you actin' all shy around Daddy?" He pinched her nose. "What's going on with you today?"

"Nothinnnn," She drawled out playfully.

"Huhuh, then why you got your lip poked out?" Inuysha tapped her bottom lip, grinning extra wide when she sucked it back in.

"Cause," Zaya looked to the floor, slipping between the blanket portion of her daddy's lap, rocking back and forth against his chest. "C'n I have some waff'es an' bacon Daddy?"

So that's why she acting shy. She wanted some waffles and knew she was still in the hot seat from what happened last time. He was proud of her. Her speech pattern was getting pretty advanced for her age. "What's the magic word?"

"P'easssse, I be good," She proceed to make those damn eyes that used always made her grandparents melt into silly putty. And sad as it was she got her father with it too.

Inuyasha couldn't resist, "Alright, alright, gimme a minute."

"Yay!" Zaya rolled off the bed spread and waddled with the spunk of an energizer bunny, until her daddy's booming voice made her shut off all engines.

"What I told you 'bout runnin' inside?" Inuyasha frowned, carefully pulling a shirt over his naked torso. "I ain't hear you?"

"Not too," Zaya whimpered at the door way. "I s'rry."

"Good girl, now walk—don't run— to the kitchen and stay put 'till I get there."

"Ok," She indeed walk instead of run this time around, knowing full well he'd hear her if she did take a chance to release all that drive.

Little Zaya. His pride and joy. Inuyasha shook his head thinking about how stupid he'd been that night long ago. He'd been so hell bent on destroying her when he arrived at the clinic. So sure he would when he got there. But when the doctor said he was too far along, Inuyasha had no choice but to carry on with the pregnancy. It scared him so much, he didn't think of what else to do except run away. The plan was such an ignorant one; he knew he was out of his mind to think it'd work.

It was simple. Have the baby, drop it off at the closest hospital then return in hopes of begging Sesshomaru for his forgiveness. But that was a baseball shot way out in left field. Inuyasha was insane with desire to be with Sesshomaru.

So the day Zaya was born, it seemed it was the first dose of reality he'd never had. The first time she looked up to him with eyes so wide and innocent, she gave him the purpose he needed to continue on with just the two of them. Inuyasha treasured her more than life itself. Felt inside his soul, she was his perfect love. Her smile, most of all, was the most glorious thing he'd always hold dear. Damn that smile. That warm, delightful smile that shun the same ray of light as his mother; that made the little child twice as precious and more woven in his heart.

She was also part of the reason why he became a police officer, as a way of having more intimidating to back up his already bold exterior. Her protection was absolutely guaranteed because of this job.

Speaking of which, he had to be there in about two hours and a daughter to drop off at daycare.

Inuyasha rose from the bed, and went to the kitchen to fix breakfast for him and his daughter. The waffle iron was broken to his daughter's need for rainbow waffles. So she was going to have to settle with some Eggos. Inuyasha found Zaya struggling fruitlessly to get into one of the chairs at the dinner table.

He grabbed her by her pull ups and placed her in her booster seat. "T'ank you," She grinned with tiny teeth. "Daddy, I want apple juice p'ease."

"Sure baby its comin'." Inuyasha reached around to snap on the television. "What you wanna watch today? Sesame Street? Clifford?"

"Dragon Tales Daddy!"

"Ah, but daddy doesn't wanna watch that one," Inuyasha pouted playfully and a little serious. He couldn't stand that big blue depressing one. Always scared of shit with his big ass. "What about Curious George?"

"Yes, I like George too!"

"That's my girl," Thank you Jesus. Inuyasha filled up her sippy cup with some apple juice and placed it on her booster counter. "Don't make a mess ok?"

"Kay," She had the cup to her mouth before daddy got out.

Inuyasha reached for the remote to flip through the channels. Let's see Curious George should be coming on in a few minutes. No wait, he remembered recording an episode yesterday. She could watch that one and he'd record today's for later. Inuyasha changed around to channel five, seven, ten, twelve, then returned back to ten when a flash of a picture caught his eye.

It was the morning news talking about recap game from Sunday between the Falcons and Dolphins.

Low and behold, there was Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha felt both his ears droop against his crown. When would those old feelings go away? They always seem to swing on a fish hook, nibbled by tiny fish until a shark would decide to take the whole bite. Sesshomaru was as fine as he was four years ago. Every so often Inuyasha would catch his face on the television involved with something dealing with the Falcons or earning some reward for being a great player.

And those often times Inuyasha did see him, he would smile to himself so happy for him. Sesshomaru was doing his heart's love and pleasure. Playing football. And damn was he good. Inuyasha leaned in as the reporter reflected the details, praising the Falcon's team for drowning the Dolphins with a score of 42-12. If Inuyasha remembered the Falcons were supposed to be going to the playoffs with the Panthers. Naraku played on that team too.

That'd be an interesting match.

"Daddy, I hunwee."

"Oh," Inuyasha jolted out of his thoughts and turned to warm violet eyes. "Sorry baby its coming." He clicked the play button on TV and went to preparing breakfast for him and his baby girl. He needed to keep his mind focused. He had to work today.

No thoughts of Sesshomaru.

He was pretty sure after what happened, Sesshomaru wasn't giving them a second thought anyway.

* * *

Rollie Pollie Child Care Center was a small brown brick building several blocks down the street from Atlanta Police Department. It was old, aged judged by the chips of paint peeling off the corner edges and grass blades splitting out the cracks of concrete, like dull sage spears. Voices both youthful and experienced, greeted Inuyasha and his daughter as his marked royal blue Grand Marquis number 2263, pulled to a stop by the rickety fence.

He put the car in park, sitting back as he looked to his side at his tiny child, dressed in her favorite navy blue Pooh Bear overalls and matching red Tigger tee underneath. To top off the animated outfit were some white Piglet tennis shoes and yellow Rabbit ribbons tied loosely on her short strawberry hair. The entire assemble was the work of his friend Sango who thought her god daughter would look adorable dressed like she's ready for Halloween. Inuyasha would've found her something else but Zaya's vote won out over his when it was the first thing she pulled out her drawers after breakfast.

Her cropped pigtails vibrantly shimmered under the morning sunshine as she fidgeted in the leather chair, itching to go outside and play.

Inuyasha though, was hesitate, "You sure you don't wanna go home with Tee Tee?" He grilled for the tenth time.

"HmMm," Zaya assured, lips balled in a tight ball, bright eyes polished with glee, seeing all the activities of a child's dreams.

With Inuyasha going into his monthly shifts now, he couldn't afforded the same luxury time as he once had with caring for his daughter on a daily basis. He hated leaving her for any part of the day. He loved her to death.

"Alright baby girl," Inuyasha leaned over, unbuckling the seatbelt secured through the plastic openings of her car seat and the one strapped across her chest. He got out, and took her out of the car seat. She bounced and danced in his arms all the way to the front desk when he signed her name on the roll log. "Call Daddy if you get scared ok?" He said when he came to the little gate where the rest of the children played.

"Ok Daddy," Zaya wormed out of his arms poise for flight.

"Whoa, whoa, don't I get a kiss good bye?"

"Oops," She giggled bouncing between his legs and smacking a loud, wet smooch on his cheek. "Mmmm-ahhh!"

"MmMm love those kisses," Inuyasha nuzzled her cheek with his pointed nose affectionately, whispering a soft, "I love you baby girl," before letting the child wiggle out of his fatherly embrace.

"Love you too Daddy," Zaya was all smiles and bright cheer as she raced off to join her fellow toddlers, breaking off to a group of little girls hanging around the front stoop. He gave a brisk nod and a short wave to one of the daycare employees before pulling off the curb onto the main street to HQ.

Or he would've until pulling to a four way intersection. A jet black mustang shot through the stop sign like it wasn't there. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and flipped his switch up. The blue lights started blaring as he whipped off the curve and took off behind the car. He had thirty minutes to spare before roll call and he'd hoped to have that spent at Starbucks. But nooooo, there was always somebody wanting to jump stupid in the morning.

The car slid off on the curb. The body inside was thrashing pulling hair, and waving his arms. Shit, might need the Taser for this one. Just to be on the safe side, Inuyasha unlocked both the Taser and his gun as he kicked off his door and walked up to the car.

The driver's head was turned to the side digging inside something in the passenger seat.

"Sir, can you face me please. We don't need to make this messy."

"Damn, would you hold still?" Inuyasha was ignored. The driver was too busy doing something else. "You're worse then you're daddy—Miroku don't make me take off my belt."

"But I don't wanna seatbelt," There was a child in there. A small boy, looking no older than Zaya, sitting in a car seat with his chucky arms folded tight and his face set in a wet frown. Inuyasha noticed the blue eyes and dark black hair when the driver sat back and noticed even more when the driver face him.

Holy shit. "Koga?"

And Koga was just as stunned. "Inuyasha? Is that you?" Koga looked up and down the street, like someone was ready to scream this was Candied Camera. "Are you—the hell? You with the_ Po Po_?"

Inuyasha laughed out, pushing his sunglasses overhead, "Yeah man. Damn it's been a while. How you been?"

"Good and tired," Koga leaned back against his seat. "I was on my way to taking this boy to day care until he got a stomach ache."

"And who's this little man here?"

Inuyasha thought he saw Koga's chest swell like a peacock. "This is my little man. Tell 'em hey Miroku."

The little boy looked at his daddy then Inuyasha like they'd lost their minds then turned away to pout out the window. Koga poked him in the cheek, "Sorry, he got his daddy's attitude. And both of 'em get on my nerves. Glad his sister's more pleasant."

"You got two babies?"

"Yeah, surprise, surprise," Chuckled Koga. "I keep telling Naraku two's enough but he's hell bent on having three. He's nothing but a powerhouse when he comes home—"

"Ho, ho, ho, hold up," Inuyasha rolled his hands. "Reverse that. You and Naraku? Ya'll got married? Damn I missed a lot. I thought ya'll broke up."

"Well we did," Koga fell awkwardly silent. "We got back together after you left."

Oh. Right. He'd left without saying a word to Koga too. Inuyasha lowered his sunglasses over his eyes and stared off at some rocks on the ground.

"But anyway what you up to now?"

Inuyasha was glad for the subject change, "I was heading off to Starbucks for some coffee."

"Don't be a cop Yash'. You know damn well you don't even like coffee." Koga scoffed, loosening up his seat belt. "Why don't you come with me for brunch? We can spare a few before I have to go to work too."

Could he? Inuyasha checked his watch. Twenty five minutes. Yeah, he could make that. "Sure, I'll follow behind you."

"Alright then—hey!" Koga leaned out the car window, calling to Inuyasha's back. "Am I still getting a ticket?"

"Damn straight!" Inuyasha shouted back. "For running the stop sign, illegal child restraint, no seat belt, and parking on private property. I'm booking your ass to Metro!" Inuyasha laughed as he sunk into his car and followed behind Koga. Damn he couldn't remember feeling this good in a long time.

He could use a little cheer.


	4. Well, Well

**Author's Rant:** Thanks everyone so much!

* * *

**Well, Well**

* * *

The Golden Egg Café on Ebony and Broad Street was packed as always on an early morning. Somebody would've thought Mardi Gras came early, the crowd of comers was only for the good hospitality and home cooked meals. . A line of people were waiting at the front counter for meals to go, there wasn't a single vacant chair in sight and the buzz of conversation bounced from wall to wall.

When was the last time Inuyasha came around this joint for some butter cream waffles and five slabs of bacon?

Too long, he mentally concluded as he shoved a quarter of the Belgian Waffle in his mouth, drowned in heaps of maple syrup and sticky with pieces of scrambled eggs. His cheeks look like helium rejects. Inuyasha missed this good old fashioned peace. It sure beat the hell out of watching the druggies trying to coax an ounce to some kids.

"Miroku," Inuyasha hid his smile as he bent down for another sloppy fork of waffle, hearing that tone Koga used to take with him back in the day. "Now you wanted to eat these pancakes, and all you're doing is getting it on your shirt." Koga sucked his teeth, using a cloth napkin to swipe away his son's chubby, sticky cheeks. He reached for a plastic fork, cutting the pancakes into little squares. "Now say ah—and keep it in this time."

Miroku chewed the bacon that luckily stayed in and opened his mouth, "Ah!" He was a humming pile of fluffy fatness as he munched, munched, munched. Inuyasha shook his head, amazed and impressed with Koga's patience.

The old Koga he knew wouldn't have had this much calm and poise with anything, let alone a child.

Well, that just goes to show how much you miss when you disappear without warning.

"What's with that face?"

Inuyasha glanced up, lips glossed with grease and sweetness. His tongue shoved the mushy food to his left cheek, "What face?"

"You know what face," Koga cut into his steak, staring at Inuyasha knowingly with those cursed gemstone blue eyes. It was like nothing could get passed them, "That's the same one you had that time you didn't wanna tell me about Naraku going to Natasha's party."

"I didn't because it wasn't my business."

"Daddy, ah, ah," Miroku motioned to his mouth. "I hungwee!"

"Hold on, damn, can daddy get a piece in his mouth? I'm hungry too," Koga already knew the boy long since lost interest in his own food from how he was eyeing the steak like an eagle would an obese rat. "Here, shit." A tiny steak cube sat on the edge of his fork. Miroku snatched it happily shoving it in his mouth. "Anyway, that ain't the point I'm getting at Yash'. You can cut that guilt trip, depression shit cause I ain't gonna sit here coddling you. You knew you were wrong for leaving the way you did—what, you thought I was gonna invite you for breakfast and not fuss?" He chuckled at Inuyasha's lethal scowl. "Man please, your ears gon' be bleeding when I'm done with cha'."

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Inuyasha started after gulping down half a cup of orange juice. "Cause I can rise up outta here and—"

Koga rolled his eyes so hard, it looked painful, "Shut the hell, you ain't going anywhere till I get my answers outta you." He cut his meat with extra vigor, the plate clicked against the butter knife and it was all he could do to keep his cool from bursting into flames. "It's been four whole years man. Shit, damn near five if I wanna be accurate. No call, no text, no letters, not even a Christmas card—Hallmark ain't outta business I know— and come to find out you moved back home? I can't believe you managed that without getting seen."

"I wasn't hiding."

"I never said you were, but you could've fooled me. Atlanta's big, but it ain't that big. Then you work for Atlanta's Finest? Are you kidding me? I'm still gone over a cliff with that." It must've been funnier, than distressing because Koga's smile was five miles wide across his face. "Let me start this right, from beginning to end. How ya been, really."

Inuyasha sunk some in his booth seat, chewing slow as melting ice, "Fine, been fine."

"That doesn't tell me much. I can see for myself you fine. I mean with life. How's it been for ya?"

The waitress came by asking for refills to their drinks. Inuyasha piped up for another cup of orange, Koga wanting some apple juice for Miroku and coke for himself. The baby boy was busily experimenting with the gummy strings of syrup between his fingers, eyes wide and astounded and speaking to the gooey stuff or doing something close to it.

"Life's been, a'ight," Inuyasha answered at last, moving some loose eggs around his plate. "I joined PD 'bout two years ago. Been raising Zaya in between that and trying to finish school."

"Zaya," Koga mumbled the name like a taste of candy. "Cute name. So the baby was a girl."

"Yeah, my baby girl. My little diva."

Koga chuckle was a mixed grunt and sigh, "Sounds like my baby girl. She ain't even one and can already work both her daddies."

"How old is she?" Inuyasha asked while he went through his phone for some updates photos of Zaya.

"Ten months," Koga reached around for his phone and went to sliding through the storage of photos. "I got some pics of her from Muso's birthday party last month." A blush ran across Koga's face like a flame thrower. He cleared his throat. Inuyasha thought he heard him grumble something about Naraku taking pictures of his body with his phone. "I thought I had some. Well, you'll just have to settle with her Fourth of July picture." Koga clicked the phone and slid it across the table counter just as Inuyasha handed over his phone. "My pumpkin pie, Kagome. Bad as hell, just like her big brother."

Miroku looked up, sucking on four fingers and getting baby drool everywhere.

Inuyasha took the phone. There was a picture, a wide screen one of a chunky baby girl with a head full of curly black hair and bright brownish red eyes. Ten guesses where she got that shiny black hair from. Her cheeks were pinched to the sides with a toothless smile, cheek to cheek with her maternal daddy and paternal father. Inuyasha saw she had Naraku's face, Koga's hair and maybe his forehead. She favored Naraku more. "She's a knock out," He said amusingly. "And looking just like her ugly daddies."

"Don't hate sweetheart, one thing I'll say is me and Naraku don't make ugly babies." Koga turned Inuyasha's phone on the side to stretch the image from side to side. Inuyasha smiled at Koga's laugh. That was a picture of Zaya during a small Halloween party at the day care. She was a tiger that year with black whiskers painted her on her cheeks. "You gonna be poppin' those knuckleheads with a shotgun."

Inuyasha eased the phone back when he noticed Koga studying the phone closer than he was comfortable with. "Well, I ain't gotta worry about that anytime soon. Soon as she turn forty, grow a beard, own a mansion and finish school, she can do whatever she wants."

Koga was laughing his ass off, ponytail flopping from side to side. Miroku looked up at his daddy and suddenly burst into giggles, clapping his hands.

"You're a trip. Damn I miss times like this. It's been too long."

"Yeah, it has."

Silence came, so long that Inuyasha thought Koga was back to eating but instead saw those eyes intensely staring at him again, "Let's not let it happen again," Koga said without a trance of the earlier humor. "I'm mean that shit Yash'. That wasn't cool what you did. Leaving without a word. You didn't only hurt Sesshomaru when you left. A lot of us were. Naraku especially since he had no one to go to the opera plays with."

Inuyasha sighed hard through his mouth, dragging a hand over his white fringe, "I know. I'm not about to sit here and make excuses, but I'm not gonna say I'm sorry for what I did either. I did what I needed to but I'm glad I didn't take it as far as I did. Zaya's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

The blue ice in Koga's eyes melted a smidge. Just a smidge. "I'm sure she'd be the best for everybody if they had a chance to meet her."

Inuyasha paled, and then the gold in his eyes turned bronze, "No." One word. Hard as diamond and twice as solid. "There's no point. I'm not gonna put her through that. "

"Hey man, whatever you say," Koga threw up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying, you wouldn't know if you didn't try." Koga checked his watch, scowled at the hands then looked across the table. "Duty calls. I'm gonna be late if I don't get outta here and get this boy home."

Inuyasha blinked, secretly glad for the change in subject, "I thought you were going to the clinic?"

"Yeah, 'cause he said his stomach hurt. Look at his chucky butt. Ain't shit wrong with him, 'cept the devil. Is your number still the same? I got mine changed twice."

"Yeah, it is. Gimme your new one."

Koga ratted off the new number for Inuyasha store in his phone. Inuyasha called him and Koga store the new number in his phone. Now reconnected, Inuyasha felt as if he'd taken the first step into a cool oasis after a suffering dry spell. Things were different, would take some getting used to, but in the end he was glad to take this step. He hadn't realized how much he missed Koga's company until they sat and talked. Seeing him with a baby, two even, also made Inuyasha feel better and not so alone.

"What you got planned this weekend?" Koga asked while buckling Miroku in his car seat.

Inuyasha dropped down in his car, adjacent from him, "I'm off Saturday, gotta work Sunday."

"Perfect, you wanna swing by Club Dirty Saturday? We're throwin' a party for his and Miroku's birthday."

"Aww Miroku got the same birthday as his daddy?" Inuyasha snickered, then sobered up fast when he thought about it. "Nah, I think I'll pass."

"Why, you said you ain't have shit to do."

"I know but I don't know how folks gonna react to seein' me there," And most of all he wasn't trying to risk seeing Sesshomaru. _Him_ and Naraku were thick as thieves since all of them went to high school together. Most likely the two were still tight set.

"Pfft please," Scoffed Koga. "You think seeing you is gonna 'cause a scene? Naraku's gonna be too busy drinking his ass off. Trust me there's gonna be too many folks for him to notice," Then he bounced his eyebrows, "And it wouldn't hurt if I had somebody I knew there to hang with. It's gonna be hot."

"Oh worrrrd," Inuyasha hummed it thoughtfully. When was the last time he'd had a date? One, two, six, whew damn that was too embarrassing to count. "Lemme think about it."

"Ain't nothing to think on Yash'. You goin' and ain't no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I'll text you the address and feel free to bring Zaya. She can go to the Play Palace with Miroku and the other kids." Koga ducked inside his car and sped off before Inuyasha could object to the last part.

But he wasn't a fool and it was almost clever trick. It was the same kind of fast paced pressure Koga used in school when trying to weasel Inuyasha into going to a frat party or some after party for the football team. Well things have changed for him too. Maybe he would go. It couldn't hurt to cut loose every once in a while. But he didn't have to bring Zaya. She could stay with her god mama.

Inuyasha deduced the plan as settled in his head, put the car in reverse and rode off to HQ. About five minutes late and knowing he was about to get a write up. But that didn't stop the smile on his face from spreading.

* * *

"Oh my god," Sesshomaru either purred, or slurred he couldn't tell which. Coming to his Aunt Izayoi's house always meant good home cooking. Amazing how he could smell the southern aroma drifting down the driveway and feel his tongue swelling with saliva.

It was early evening. He'd missed coming the last time out of some, ahem, important duties that couldn't be avoided. She was going to be pissed off, but she'd be sure he ate first beforehand. And damn was it cold. October had no business rolling up in Atlanta with that North Pole shit. Even with his leather coat, camel cashmere sweater and black Levi's, the nips of cold were biting at Sesshomaru's face, his hands, his neck, his ankles, wherever there was skin.

He buried his face down into his turtle as he reached up to knock on the door. It swung open before he touch knuckle to hard wood.

"Well 'bout damn time you showed up cuz, come on in," Naraku had palm full of dominos and the other hand with a glass scotch. Which made Sesshomaru wonder how he managed to open the door. "Mama, Sesshomaru in the house!" Naraku closed the door behind him, a lazy grin on his face, "You in for it now baby boy. Mama's gonna wear you out like a pair of old panty hose."

"Whatever," Murmured Sesshomaru, shedding off his coat for the rack. He toed off his timberland boots, nodding to a couple of neighbors sitting in the living room.

When Naraku bought his family this house he wasn't messing around with space. The place was huge and homely. The living room dipped down to the left of the front door, with a flat screen and a fire place on the wall. There was a chandelier dangling made of raw crystal dangling from a gold chain. A set of winding stairs that went up to five more bedrooms. The first had three, plush two basements, one of which was Uncle Takemaru's man cave. You had to be above twenty five to venture into grown folk's territory.

The hall way stretched and split like valley roads, with gapping frames made of glass, so you could see what everyone was doing as he passed by. Sesshomaru stepped inside the entertainment room where Kagura, Muso, Midoriko, Takemaru, and his daddy were sitting around a road table, concentrated so deep in dominos, no one heard him say hello.

Bottles of bud light, miller light and royal crown bottles sat occupying the edge of the table as life savers and some sat there bone dry.

"Save me a seat," He nodded at Naraku before traveling down the hall to where his Aunt traded sides of the kitchen fixing dishes of so many smell goods. Yams, mac and cheese, cabbages, sweet corn bread, smothered pork chops, fried chicken, string beans, and mashed potatoes. "Hey Aunt Izzy," He startled her some, and kissed her cheek. "Where's mama?"

"Out getting some more potatoes and don't _Aunt Izzy _me, boy," She smacked his arm. "Where were you before? I thought I told that big headed son of mine to tell you to come for dinner. Did he forget or were you too busy shanking up with that sass-mouth chicken to spend time with family?"

"That sass mouth chicken's got a name Tee Tee."

"Is you getting smart with me Sesshomaru Romanov Espada?"

Good god his whole name. "No ma'am I'm just saying—"

"Don't talk unless I say you can speak, you understand? Don't open your mouth at all."

Sesshomaru stayed silent, blinking only.

"Answer me boy!"

"But you just said to be quiet," Frowned Sesshomaru, which he immediately got popped on the hand for.

"Don't get smart," She dared him to say something that time with her eyes and whirled back on her heel to pay attention to the bubbling pots. "Have a seat," She pointed with a spoon to an isle bar with stools on the other side. "Talk to me. What's going on with you lately? Muso says you messing up at practice, Naraku says you're not calling as much and now you're missing out on family dinners. Do you have troubles we need to know about?"

Sesshomaru hated that tone. Always have since he was a child. His mama and Aunt Izzy would use that twisted draught of worry, concern and forceful demand that'd make you get it out despite not wanting to reveal too much. Sesshomaru chewed the inside of his cheek, folding his arms over the onyx surface, "I don't know." He finally said, which was some of the truth. "I've just been frustrated, I guess. Anger, aggravated. The game, life, things like that. I just can't keep my mind clear."

"Well what's got it cloudy?"

"Everything," He tiredly confessed. "No matter how I try to look at things, I get irritated from it and don't know why. I don't want company, I want to be alone but then I don't. I can't think straight and . . . shit, I'm confused."

Izayoi ignored the cursing, placing her ladle on the side of the stove and turning the shimmering down. "You're drained," She said walking to the edge of the isle. "You know you haven't stopped moving since your draft day? It's always something. You never take a chance to relax."

"I don't need to relax."

"Then what do you need?"

"I wish I knew," Sesshomaru's face disappeared behind his arms. "I feel empty, I think. Like I got this weight full of nothing on my shoulders." He shrugged small. "Maybe that's why I feel like I need to keep moving. If I stop then it'll weigh me down."

"You poor boy," Izayoi reached out. Sesshomaru winched as his tuff of hair was pushed back from his crescent moon. It wasn't that she was doing it. It was just it was the same thing another someone would do when he needed to relax. The exact same technique, "You know God never gives us too much to handle. I can't tell you how best to deal with what's ailing you. That's your mama's job and I suggest you talk to her as soon as you get the chance. Kiki knows how to talk to you in a way I can't."

It's not that easy, he wanted to say. His mama was extremely protective of her only son. If she so much as sniffed misery, she'd light a block on fire.

They heard the front door open and close. Sesshomaru thought it was his mama until he heard Naraku cooing like a horny pigeon and the squeal of his son. Sesshomaru pushed from the table and went to greet his favorite cousin-in-law. Unfortunately he caught Naraku in the middle of trying to wedge his hand in the front of Koga's dress shirt.

"Would you stop? We're at your mama's house, have some shame," Koga hissed, smacking Naraku's wandering hands away.

Naraku didn't fathom the death he'd receive if his mother discovered that. His lips were like starved leeches suckling every sweet juice they could find, "Come on baby," Naraku kissed Koga's cheek, his chin, his ear, and settled in place on his neck. "You didn't say that when we were practicing for Miroku."

"_Who_ is watching his big daddy making nasty moves on his daddy," But he was hardly trying to get away, tilting his chin higher, arched as far as a swan. "You want 'em getting ideas this early?"

"Sure do. He'll learn how to get in 'em britches early."

Sesshomaru gave the loudest throat clearing in the universe. Naraku still clung to the back of Koga's neck when he would have pulled away from the kissing, his fingers digging into the skin, stroking and petting and caressing until Koga was panting heavily. When he finally decided to grace his cousin with a cool glance, all he had to say for his actions was a shameless wink, "Trying to get that third baby cuz, don't interrupt the process."

"I won't have too if Aunt Izzy catches you two about to fuck in her hall." Sesshomaru pocketed his hands, leaning against the door frame. "You'll be sportin' some castrated nubs."

"God gave us tongues for a reason."

Koga punched him. Hard. Very hard in the gut. Naraku doubled over on the ground, whimpering in his chest, surprisingly attempting to reach Koga's ankles as he stalked passed. "Stupid ass—get off me Naraku!" A swift kick to the chest, took the 6'4 giant down for a few seconds. Koga lifted his child up to Sesshomaru, "Here," he gave him Miroku and kept walking to the kitchen.

Sesshomaru stood there blinking with baby boy in hand.

"Sesshie," Miroku beamed joyously. "I count to dis many today," He held up five fingers.

"That's good."

"Whew, damn," Naraku picked himself off the floor, rolling his neck from side to side. "Shit, what'd I do this time?"

"You don't have to do much to piss off a P Type." Sesshomaru said calm and obvious. "You say this, they think you mean that. What's right in their world ain't always right for ours."

"Tell me about it, damn my stomach hurt." Rubbing over the throb did nothing to sooth the pain. "You coming to the party Saturday?"

"Naturally, it's my cousin's birthday. Little man's gonna be a big three. Ain't that right?"

"Yep! I gonna be this many," Miroku held up five stubby fingers.

Naraku bent down two, "This many, son." Then he pouted at Sesshomaru, "And he ain't the only one. It's my b-day too man. And I plan to live it up!"

"Wiv it up!" Miroku shouted too.

"That's right," Naraku got his son and held him up above his face. "We gonna show 'em how to party tomorrow ain't that right son?"

"Yep!" They danced away down the hall. "Wiv it up!"

Leaving Sesshomaru smiling after them. When they disappeared around the corner he glanced up and down the hall thinking, contemplating and more as he walked down the wall and spied at the commotion in the entertainment room. Naraku placed Miroku down on the floor with the rest of his cousins to play with and flopped down to finish playing the game. Koga came back minutes later after changing out of his suit and took a squat by the table to watch the game. The kiss he gave Naraku was a pleasant, forgiving one, Sesshomaru hated feeling envious of.

It gave him a reason to stare down at the corner of children playing around. He realized then, that sadly, none of those belonged to him.

Maybe that's why the hall felt so cold and vacant.

* * *

After a long ten hour day of tracking a child molester, all Inuyasha wanted to do was focus on his child and enjoy the rest of the evening.

She'd turned their entire living room into a warzone. Couches were flipped on their backs, the kitchen table was turned sideways and blankets were piled on the floors and draped across like stitched canopies. Inuyasha drew the line where their couch pillows being used as bombs. "Daddy, psst, daddy," She hissed from beneath one of the tents. "I no see you." She poked her head and ears out, hair ruffled everywhere.

"Over here," Inuyasha waved from behind the couch. "Shh, we have to be quiet. I saw something in the bushes."

"What, what?" Zaya gasped, glaring at the imaginary jungle, "I see, I see!" She squeaked, pointing at window. "Daddy it gonna get you," She whispered.

"Nah uh," He teased. The wall clock chimed a quarter to eight. They'd been at this game for an hour. Inuyasha stood, removing the bandana from over his eye, "'Cause it's time for bed."

"Awww, Daddy," She whimpered and pouted and flagged her fluffy ears. "I no wanna."

"Don't work that cute stuff with me. Come on bedtime," He picked up her by the pulls and carried her by the rim to her bedroom across the hall from his. She had pictures of pink leopards, African Leopards and anything littered with speckles around the room. She took to loving the leopard print ever since she saw a Barbie doll wearing it at Wal-Mart.

He dressed her in a pink and yellow night gown some matching footie socks and brushed all her hair back and off her ears. Thinking about it, he was going to need to braid it tomorrow so Sango won't have much to do with it. Thank god she agreed to watch her for the party tomorrow. It'd take some careful thinking, but Inuyasha had decided to go just for some fun. It couldn't hurt and if he spotted Sesshomaru, they didn't have to necessarily be evil to one another. They could speak, be polite and carry on.

Right, as if.

"Ok, time to say your prayers," Inuyasha kneeled by her bed. Zaya crawled up on her bed and kneeled too facing him. "Ready?"

"Yep," She bowed her head.

"Now I lay me down to sleep."

"Now I lay me down to sweep."

"I pray to the lord my soul to keep."

"I pray to the lord—daddy why god gotta keep our souls?"

Inuyasha opened his eyes, "'Cause, uh, 'cause that's where he needs to keep them when we fall asleep, so he can wash them of our bad sins."

"Like how you wash clothes daddy?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Ohhh," Zaya nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Ok."

Inuyasha closed his eyes, but kept his smile to himself.

"If I should die before I wake."

"If I should—daddy I no like that part 'member? I no want to die. C'n I say other stuffs?"

Oh goodness. This girl did this every night. Inuyasha didn't know why he expected this to be a different evening. "Ok what do you want to say?"

"Umm—Oh, I know, I know! If I be bad when I wake, I pray to god I no get spanked."

"Oh Jesus forgive me, it's too late for this," Groaned Inuyasha. "Just get your butt in bed smart mouth." This was only half of tonight's tortures. Zaya worked these nights the same and has been since she learned how to talk and comprehend. He tucked her in, kissed her good night and tried to hurry to the door—

"Stowee daddy, stowee!"

He'd so close. Inuyasha inhaled and exhaled. Maybe she'd want a different story tonight. "Which one baby girl?"

She was already feeling under her pillow for her favorite one. Inuyasha could keep his eyes from rolling.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Nothing against the book itself, it was just what it influenced out of his daughter every single night. Inuyasha settled down on the bed, cocking one leg over the other while Zaya crawled up and stood behind him, gripping his shoulder, sucking her thumb and twirling a finger around his hair.

"Goldilocks and the Three Bears," He began in a growly voice. The story started off the same. The theme was the same. The pictures were the same. Yet no matter how many times this has been read, Zaya reacts to every dramatic scene and action like it was the first. However after Goldilocks decides to venture her blonde ass into the woods, the scene switches to the three bears sitting in the dining room eating porridge together.

And here was things got complicated.

Inuyasha predicted the tug on his shirt before it came, "Daddy."

"Yes baby?"

"How I only got dis many daddies?" She held up one finger. "My fwiend Roxy have dis many daddies." Now there were two fingers.

And here was the answer he would always give, "Because I'm able to love you all by myself." He kissed her nose.

She shook her head, "I want dis many daddies. So you can get bwig hugs too. Roxy daddy give big ole hugs to his friend like dis." She wrapped her arms around herself and swung from side to side.

"I can get all my big ole hugs from my baby girl when I want them," He snapped the book shut. "Now get some sleep."

"I want two daddies, daddy."

"I know baby, I know." Inuyasha kissed her between the ears and clicked on her night light. "We'll talk about it later. Kay?"

"Mmkay," She yawned wide, eyes droopy. "Night, night."

"Good night."

Inuyasha went to bed wishing his mind would erase her pleads as it always would. There was no such luck tonight. Things were different. Things were changing. He didn't have just his daughter's voice in his head now but Koga's as well.

He barely got any sleep. The bed was just too cold.

* * *

"I can't believe I let him talk me into this," Sesshomaru grumbled against the blasting stereos and base rattling the ground like an earthquake. He lounged back against a couch, bored out of his mind, swinging a half full cup of coke and rum, while steadily eyeballing his cousins dancing around the floor of Club Dirty. Every shred of sense was tossed out the window at the outrageous scenery spread like butter to toast. The hot stench of bud lite filtered in his noses, cigarette smoke guzzled the entire club's air above his heads and several kinds of illegal beverages, tackled his head with a vengeance. Neon pinks, lime green and scarlet red, mixed with blues and other rainbow accessories, flattered everybody's bodies with crazy pattern's shapes and whatnots—all these damn colors, the fuck was Naraku thinking?

The lights circled and shattered every which a way, flashing the large spaced place like an old school movie flick. The music was bumping like no body's business and the feel of wanting to rip the carpet couldn't have been more wanting then it was now.

Sesshomaru dropped his head back against the couch, slowly wasting away. He should've stayed home. He wasn't much of a partier. As a matter of fact, he tended to steer clear of them the best he could.

"What's crackin' baby!"

Sesshomaru idly lowered his bottle, leaning leisurely against the suave seat cushion as Naraku, came strolling up flopping by his side, grinning stupidly. "Why you ain't—why you ain't—shit go dance!" He managed to get out around some hiccups. "You ruinin' my buzz."

"How the hell you celebrating your son's birthday here?"

"Hey I never said we were—we were doing it in the same place," Naraku was so drunk off his ass, Sesshomaru hoped the hangover would kill him.

"And you didn't think to tell me that? Ain't nothing but scatter ass everywhere."

Naraku tried to remember how to lift his eye brow but went for laughing uncontrollably, "Ah man loosen—loosen—loosen—I ain't drinkin' dis shit anymo'," Naraku tossed it somewhere on the floor and tried to recover himself to speak. "All this scattered ass is at your disposal. Rack it up baby. I am your Willy Wonka who let Sesshy into the factory."

Sesshomaru couldn't help it. He laughed. A real genuine one where he was slapping the ball of his knee, dropping his head down to catch his breath. Naraku was an idiot. No better yet, a straight fool.

"Now that's better," Naraku snapped his fingers and pointed to some empty glasses on the table. A waitress appeared with titties and butt cheeks pouring out of her cat suit, the color of ruby. She bent over provocatively to fill their glasses with Cristal, and winked at Sesshomaru when she caught him focused solely on her heart shaped ass.

Oh yes. His candy land indeed. Sesshomaru saluted her with the glass cup and downed it hard.

"Whoa, slow your roll baby. We got allllll night to play," Naraku handed him his untouched glass and whooped when Sesshomaru wolfed that down too. "Hit 'em up!" A different waitress returned with a full bottle and left it there for them to serve themselves. The commotion caused a ruckus upstairs that attracted more of the party goers upstairs into the Rainbow Room.

Sesshomaru and Naraku got into a contest of wits. Seeing who could drink the most and be able to count a hundred. Sesshomaru thought he was winning. He was in the hole.

Around the twelfth round, grinning like a thief he lifted to his mouth, only to freeze in his tracks, face paled even clearer then the drinks and lips parting in shock. Now call him crazy, but he wasn't all that sure Cristal's side effects were false illusions.

Sesshomaru blinked and looked again. The person didn't move. He was still there. Triangle ears and all.

"Motherfucker," Sesshomaru surged to his feet and went to the balcony glass of the VIP room, face suctioned to the glass.

Back across the club, leaning over a twisted silver rail and wearing a charm, sexy smirk was . . . No doubt about it. Cristal was good, but shit if it was able to make Sesshomaru think he'd lost all his bricks from the stack. It wasn't the drink playing tricks on him. No matter how many times he blinked Inuyasha was still standing right there. He had a bottle in his hand, skinning and grinning up to one some random demon.

No, not just any random demon. That motherfucker was Ryura.

Sesshomaru growled feral-like when the blue haired fiend leaned in closer, small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

Inuyasha.

The nerve. The absolute fucking nerve. He had to have known this was Naraku's party. He had to have known he'd show up. And still he came as carefree as if nothing's happened? Like he hadn't agonized a single day over what happened years ago.

Sesshomaru was pissed. He was angry. His eyes were stained red. The waitress who'd served him early was shoved against the wall as he shuffled down the downstairs, weaving through the coils of people with a one track mind.

* * *

**TBC: Uh-oh :0**


	5. Disturbances

**Author's Rant:** Thanks so much for your participation. Enjoy the next chapter. Please excuse any mistakes.

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**Disturbances**

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Being trained by Atlanta's Finest made Inuyasha prepared for the craziest things. He'd be through enough to scare the toughest demon and make them think twice with crossing him. So naturally, he'd have a sixth sense when it came to approaching danger and one upping it before it got out of hand. The way his ears smoothly swirled from side to side could've been mistaken for his interest in the handsome dragon demon taking up his time.

Not hardly.

He was flirting, yes, but Inuyasha had been on alert since he heard an agitated rattle bump off the swirly stair well to the VIP room. Call him paranoid, he could take it. Being a cop tended to put you on edge, always waiting for something to pop off and give an excuse to put that baton to use. There were at least three hundred people packed in tighter than sardines and less than an inch to move, so you could smell someone's drink in your face.

"So you got a name sweetheart?"

Inuyasha crashed landed softly back in time to deliver a sexy smirk, "Yeah, Inuyasha. And you?"

"Ryura, player for the Raiders," Ryura lead in, drink in hand and smile deadlier then a great white. "You a friend of Naraku?"

"Depends on how ya mean friend?"

Ryura lifted an eyebrow, though the smile grew, "Fuck buddies, baby daddy, boyfriend, side husband?"

Inuyasha had to give the man his props for asking the notorious question of having a significant other so bluntly, "Nah, none of the above," He sipped his drink, looking sexily through his white fringe. "I'm unattached.

"Really," The dragon's red eyes seemed to shimmer with delight under the dancing neons. "Just so happens I ain't got a honey on my arm. You interested in occupyin' it for me?" Ryura got a little bold, encircling his thick arm around Inuyasha's waist lightly, but suggestively enough to hint.

Inuyasha's grin cocked to the side of his mouth as he leaned his head back to say something.

Then he shut down all together to sniff the air, dispensing the party odors for one he prayed wasn't what he thought it was. Inuyasha kept his cool at first when the noise seemed to come from an accidental touch, but it when it shook and vibrated with an iron grip, his body tensed and his face merged of all emotion. The coming steps were his main focus. They were staggering, heavy set—no muscularly built, slender, 6'2, weighs about 220— and weaving through the crowd in his direction.

Inuyasha wasn't nothing but 190 dripping wet on a starved day. He was trying to keep focus on the coming threat and Ryura's too wet lips leaving sleek streaks on his ears. As tempting as it was to humor this guy, Inuyasha wasn't about to get sideswiped for some ass. So he maneuvered himself cleverly to the side to get a better view of the swimming party, while maintaining a mild interest in Ryura's temptations.

That's when he saw him and Lord help him, not even police training could've prepared Inuyasha for seeing that face again and the effect of a thousand punches wrenching his gut in knots. The drink in his hand tilted, secretly dripping on his shirt as he took in all that'd changed in four years.

Sesshomaru. Got'damn four years turned this man inside out.

He'd always been tall but now he'd gotten an inch or two more. Luxurious, shiny silver hair was tied in a long rope braid, but the ribbon keeping it bound couldn't hold off the sweeping banes that refused to behave or hold back those hairs hiding a murderous and sadistically sexy glare. He was wearing a Calvin Klein button up and some khaki pressed pants. _Ever the perfect dresser,_ Inuyasha thought mournfully. He didn't know whether to be thrilled at the sight of his ex-boyfriend or on guard for the fast pace stride.

Sesshomaru was angry, as well he should be but Inuyasha hoped he wouldn't cause a scene in here. At the same time he couldn't help the shudder rubbing up and down his spine like hooked claws. Hotness spilled in his stomach and then dried his mouth to where he emptied his cup just as Sesshomaru pushed passed a couple, only twenty feet away.

And Ryura's wandering lips weren't helping the situation in the least. He had a patch of red currently blotched on the side of Inuyasha's neck like a sunburn. "Hey," Inuyasha pushed at his chest to ease some space between them. "Why don't we make this a lil' more private."

Ryura finally let up on the sucking to get a good look at Inuyasha's face as if he weren't sure the man was serious. But the fool had no clue Inuyasha was trying to save his ass from a massive cross fire between words, fists and blood. After a moment of considering—which seemed to take forever and a day—Ryura smirked hotly and leaned in to press a soft kiss to Inuyasha's lips, "I'm set up at the Hilton. You can meet me there or if you want I can drive."

"Er," Sesshomaru was almost there. Shit, "Nah, nah I'll catch up wit'cha in a bit. Just go on ahead."

"You don't need my number?"

"I'll get it from Naraku," Inuyasha shoved him away. "Just go."

"But—"

"Go on," He got Ryura to leave just in time.

Inuyasha sighed, not reaching up to squeeze the pressure between his eyes when Sesshomaru stopped in front of him with a look tore between murdering Inuyasha now or right now. For a moment there was a silence not even Lil Wayne's beats could pierce through. It was like a barrier was pulled over them thick as a steel wall, five feet wide. Inuyasha thought he'd grown an inch at least, but he was still resorting to cocking his head back to meet Sesshomaru's eyes—bloodshot as hell .

Inuyasha swallowed, licking his lips. They could be civil with each other, there didn't have to be a scene. Inuyasha decided since he'd been the one to cause the obvious tension, he'd be the one to break the ice, "Sesshomaru—"

"What the fuck ya doin' here?"

Well shit. Inuyasha wasn't expecting a glorious greeting or even a handshake, but he wasn't thinking that age old pain would come tearing his stomach in half.

"Answer me," Sesshomaru snapped and slurred. "You gone damn near a century and show up outta thin air? The fuck you on?"

"I got invited here same as you," Inuyasha reasoned patiently. "Koga said it'd be alright if I came." Even though I risked knowing you'd be here, he wanted to add but knew better than to heat an already boiling pot. "But I ain't here to start trouble," Inuyasha held up his hands, palms up. "If it's an issue, hey, I'll just jet." He made to leave.

Sesshomaru snatched at his forearm hard enough to dig his claws through Inuyasha's red polo, "You ain't doin' nothin' until I get some answers." He tugged back hard, smacking Inuyasha's side to his chest. "Why the hell are you here?"

"I told you Koga said it was cool," Inuyasha was losing his good cop attitude and about to work on his bad cop. He freed his arm, ignoring the tingling licks of warmth that remained. "And don't grab at me like that again a'ight? I said if it's a problem I'll just leave. I'm not about to have a fight with you in front of all these folks."

"Oh yeah run away like you always do. What, you gonna leave to see your new man?" Sesshomaru stepped forward, closing the gap between him and Inuyasha with one step. "Nah, you ain't leavin'. For once, grab ya shit and man up."

It was official. From the slur and mix of his words—not to mention the awful funk coming from the spit flying— Sesshomaru was flat out drunk. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, waving off the fool. All of this he was saying was because of emotional cups of alcohol. If Sesshomaru was in his right mind, Inuyasha was sure he wouldn't be here pressuring him for some old stuff.

"Sesshomaru, you're drunk. I'm not in the mood to have this out with you. So why don't you just leave me alone and you can act like this never happened."

"Whatsa' matta? Cat got your dick?" Sesshomaru demanded. "You ain't r-runnin' this time, you—you mangy ass half-breed."

Alright, yeah. It was definitely time to go. Inuyasha just shook his head refusing to answer to that and turned on his heel to leave. Half-breed, mangy ass half-breed . . . damn. Drunk or not, that shit hurt, especially coming from him. Inuyasha's fist coiled and released, coiled and released several times as he went for the exit. Fuck Ryura, fuck this party, fuck himself for having been stupid enough to come. He wasn't going to wait to meet Koga. He'd just have to call him and say things weren't going to work out when it came to them frequenting the same places as—

A strong hand gripped his arm and whipped Inuyasha around fast. Inuyasha had a split second to ready himself for the fist taking three seconds too long to land on his face before he twisted under, cocked his leg out and snatched the ground under the idiot's feet. The assailant came crushing down hard enough to break his back, but Inuyasha was still moving, reaching for an arm to bend until the bone creaked. He held his knee in the middle of Sesshomaru's back and leaned in, "Who the fuck you think ya messin' with huh? I know you mad, I get that. But you ain't have to take it this far. You came to hit me from behind? That's low even for you Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru grunted on the floor, "You got nerve talkin' about low. You da' one who left me. I ain't get a word, a note, nothin'. I fuckin' loved you! And you wanna talk about low? Fuck you Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha opened mouth, then looked up to see the floor cleared around them. There wasn't a single person within a ten foot radius, all eyes were on them or specifically him since he had the star quarterback . . . laying on the ground. Shit. Inuyasha sighed feeling twice as tired as he had that night years ago. He leaned forward to speak for Sesshomaru's ears only, "Fine, fuck me. If that's the case, when I let you up, you're gonna go back to being drunk, you're gonna leave me alone, and if you follow me or attempt to hit me again, I'ma have your stupid ass thrown in jail for assaulting an officer and being above legal alcohol level."

"Fuck you Inuyasha," Was all Inuyasha got in turn before Sesshomaru started bucking and struggling under his weight. Inuyasha nearly forgot the difference in height and weight but didn't show concern as he jammed his knee down to calm Sesshomaru down.

When he stopped moving, Inuyasha stood up and Sesshomaru stood up, but not as graceful. He was tumbling and bumping into some of the eyewitnesses looking from him to Inuyasha like they could detect a hostel quarrel between lovers. And to make matters worse, Inuyasha caught the flicker of cell phones recording what was going on. No doubt being who Sesshomaru was, this would hit the newsstands by Monday. He could see it now: FALCON'S QUARTERBACK AND ATL'S FINEST. EITHER FUCKING OR NEEDING TO FUCK THE TENSION AWAY.

He was going to get an earful from his sergeant Monday. That set some fire to Inuyasha's feet to leave the premise at once. He cast a searing warning to Sesshomaru before turning to leave. He ignored the people parting away like the red sea and this time he made it to the exit without trouble. He found his car in the thong of the crowded parking lot and dove inside, locking the doors. He took a few moments to collect his composure, his thoughts, his worries and the pains blossoming in his chest he wished stayed where they'd been before.

Sesshomaru.

God, Inuyasha hadn't realized the effects this man still had on him even after all this time. They could've made it. Shit their relationship wasn't perfect back then, but he was confident they would've been married had a nice house, a nice car, a bunch of kids and been rocking back and forth on their front porch watching their family grow.

Of course, reality was what it was. Inuyasha ran away when he should've manned up and faced his fears. Inuyasha's ears kicked up when he heard a harsh wood-to-metal connection.

Sesshomaru burst through the door, scanning the parking lot like a hawk. The fool was looking for him. Inuyasha sighed, placed his car in drive and drove out of the parking lot knowing he was running away again.

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Sesshomaru tried his hardest not to let his humiliation roar beyond his pride before he walked back inside the club. He'd walked the parking lot several times, partially to get the club's mind off that incident, partially to clear his head and partially to find Inuyasha. But no doubt the hanyou ran away. Again. Yeah that bastard got away again. Sesshomaru wished he could kick his own ass for how that'd turned out.

The situation could've gone better he knew. It was just, seeing Inuyasha there, here of all places after no word from him and smiling like that? Maybe it was his own assumptions grinding his mind. Sesshomaru had used the excuse for months that Inuyasha had a logical reason for leaving the way he had and living a troubled life too. There shouldn't have been any reason for him to move on, to smile as he was doing before. It was like he didn't care.

That was the sour patch in the whole ordeal. It was like Inuyasha didn't give a damn and when faced with the dilemma, the asshole hightailed and ran like the coward he was. And here Sesshomaru didn't have a clue how to reach him.

And worse of all . . .

Inuyasha looked pretty damn good. Better than that, these four years were a bigger blessing to his already fine self. He muttered something under his breath incoherent, a small tingle of amazement and anger rolled together. Inuyasha's hair wasn't as long as it was in school. He'd trimmed it to the middle of his back, and it wasn't as wildly flared. There was a tamed sheen to it he couldn't maintain before. Then there was the fact that—if Sesshomaru hoped his mind wasn't too drunk to realize—Inuyasha was taller and built up from the feel of his arm. Felt like he'd been eating steroids for breakfast with a side of dumbbells.

And then he came wearing his favorite color red with polo and some low hipped jeans; Inuyasha always looked good in red. It did something to demonize his hazel eyes like nothing else ever could. And damn those puppy ears were still cute. The more Sesshomaru's mind roamed over the memory of that motherfucker, the more he wished he wasn't admiring the looks. No doubt Inuyasha was sexy, but that didn't excuse his ass for hightailing it out of there.

Inuyasha had to have come knowing it was evident they'd meet. Shit, God had a way of playing tricks on them like that. Now the only thing was too—wait—Sesshomaru shook his head. Did that fool say he was a cop? As in, a part of the po po kind of cop? "Fuck," Sesshomaru groaned miserably, dropping his face in his hands. Shit he hadn't been thinking with a clear head at all. The news was gonna be blaring this shit like a new Nicki Minjai. Coach was going to wedge himself between his ass cheeks by Monday. "Fuck," Sesshomaru dragged the word down his tongue like that'd make it taste any better.

Drunk indeed. He had to have been to show his ass like that in front of all those folks.

Naraku came through the front door, half sober, half confused, half shocked, half stupid when he spotted his cousin pacing up and down the side walk, murmuring to himself and raking a hand through his hair. Naraku sighed, closing the door off to the noise. "Hey man," He called.

Sesshomaru stopped. He wanted so bad to blame this whole situation on his idiot of a cousin but had to remember if he hadn't come the opportunity wouldn't be here. So he calmed himself enough to speak when Naraku stopped by his side, "What's up."

"Nothin' but I heard you were eatin' tile like it's going outta style," Naraku shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking back in on his heels. "Ya mind telling me why you assaulting cops and shit at _my party, brah_? You know it ain't always gotta be about you. Let me have some of the limelight." Naraku had the nerve to pout.

"I didn't assault a cop. I didn't get a chance too," It didn't sound as humiliating as he thought since it was a cop that took him down. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, "How'd you know it was a cop?" Sesshomaru narrowly suspicious.

"Well for one because it's all the folks chattin' about inside, and its already got five thousand hits on youtube _'Quarterback Sesshomaru tackled like a bitch by the police'_ and Koga told me Inuyasha was in town," He finished off without a care in the world.

"You knew Inuyasha was here?" Sesshomaru was livid, "And you didn't think to tell me when he had?"

"What difference would've made? You would've still got pissed off, still had your ass handled and you'd be sulking for the next week and look man, that's my husband. Koga told me not to say shit and that's that." When Naraku's red eyes lost that playful shine, as rare as that was, it meant he was serious and ready to defend. It was the kind of gleam he had in school when they were ready to start a play. His voice got deeper than and twice as sharp as his gaze. "I was lookin' out for you. Even if I'd told you what do you think would've happened? Nothin' different from a few minutes ago."

"You still shoulda' told me," Sesshomaru sulked, lowering himself down to his heels, staring at the debris on the ground. "I can't believe he's back here of all places."

"Koga said he never left," Naraku joined him below, picking at some grass that managed to break through the cement. "He lives down by Fifth and Destin. He joined the force not long after moving back. Some shit about something or another."

"Then why didn't he try to talk to me?"

Naraku smacked him on the back of the head, "You drunk, but you ain't that damn stupid. Come on man, think. If he left before it's obvious he ain't gonna wanna see you."

"But I wanna know why he left."

"Shit I wish he hadn't. That was my theater buddy. Nobody else went with me 'cept him," Naraku reached back to play with a locket of his hair, grinning secretly. He side glanced Sesshomaru, and then asked. "He still fine huh?"

"Man," Sesshomaru exhaled like it was his last. "Is he. Explosive like ACME dynamite. Motherfucker still got it back there, up there, and down there. I mean, I knew he wouldn't look much different from school, but my God, his eyes look good, his body—the dude been eatin' steel I'm tellin' you. He still has that swish even when he's stomping mad. And," Sesshomaru shut down all engines when he realized he was rambling on and on and on.

But was too late. Naraku was smiling like a monkey getting crack nanas. "Damnnnnnn," He laughed, sniffling. "It's like that?"

"Yeah it is. Inuyasha goods look . . . but I can't find myself thinking anything passed that ya know? That's all Inuyasha got to 'em is looks. I got too much bitterness cooped up to see beyond that."

"Yeah I feel ya on that one," Naraku stood, dusting off his jeans and helped Sesshomaru up to his feet. He had that steely glint in his eyes as well that spoke volumes. Sesshomaru focused on that and opened his mouth to ask, but Naraku rose up his hand and shook his head. "There's a lot goin' on ya need to know but it ain't my place to say. All I will say is ya need to find Inuyasha and make his ass talk. He got some explainin' ta do."

Now Sesshomaru was worried. "You know why he left?"

"I ain't sayin' shit, but if he don't I will," Naraku eyes sliced up the street as if he could see Inuyasha's car. "That shit ain't fair to you and the rest of us."

"If you know what's goin' on ya need to start talkin' Naraku. You don't think this shit's been eatin' me up all these years? Fuck man, just speak your mind!"

"No," Naraku said crisp and final. "I said I ain't gettin' in that but I will say this. Make Inuyasha talk. Give 'em one chance to redeem himself. If he don't," Naraku bumped his shoulders. "Fuck it, I'm spillin' everything. From point A to B I'm sayin' everything. Koga'll be pissed but he'll get over it and hell you need to know." With that hammered between them Naraku swirled on his heel and went back inside the club.

He left Sesshomaru thinking far too much where his brain couldn't handle it all. So others knew what was going on except him and what did Naraku mean. Was what Inuyasha did that fucked up to where even he couldn't tell his own cousin? Koga knew. Naraku knew. Inuyasha knew, of course he would. Damn, Sesshomaru felt like he was out of the loop. "Damn it Inuyasha," Sesshomaru let his breath go in a low, tired huff. "What did you do?"

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Inuyasha rolled his eyes to the sky as he walked through second precinct, annoyed. What was the big deal? If any of them were in the same predicament, they would've done the same. What did you do, why did you take out the Falcon's quarterback? Hey, if he messes up next game, I'm keying your car. All types of shit. You'd think he was back in school or something.

Inuyasha knew as soon as he walked through the doors for roll call his sergeant, Tsukiyomi Ramirez, would let him have it. She was relentless as she laid out the reasons and facts why Atlanta couldn't afford to have the media focused on mediocre bullshit when they had a child molester to find. With the citizens too bent on seeing who embarrassed Sesshomaru, no one's got an eye out for the criminals.

That and she was just looking for another excuse to write his ass up to their captain for disorderly conduct. As if Totosai would give a damn anyway but still it's the principle. She was bitch when she wanted to be and just damn, cut 'em some slack.

Around lunchtime in the HQ cafeteria, things got worse.

"Shikon, yo Shikon."

Inuyasha stopped with his sandwich half way to his mouth, glancing up to see his noisy ass friend Ryuukotsesui literally gliding over with a mile stretch of teeth sparking like a Colgate commercial. "Please talk, I ain't heard shit this good since Wolfe crashed the marked 2022. Come on man, spill all that shit on the table. No, wait, wait, wait," Ryuukotsesui went about uncapping his Sprite bottle, undoing the foil over his jambalaya, flipping his napkin and tucking it in his collar, grabbing his fork and looking every bit the fat kid about to get a slice of chocolate cake. "Ok now talk."

Inuyasha took a large chuck out of the roast beef, mayo, spicy mustard, and provolone and garlic pickle sandwich. Yes it was necessary to detail it all because he loved thinking about his sandwich. "Well damn," he swallowed. "Don't cum at the table."

"I can't help it," Ryuukotsesui shivered. "I'm about to wet this floor, you know I love some good gossip and you never fail me. So talk or I'm stabbin' ya ass with this fork." He shoved a mouthful of sausages and rice in his mouth. "What happened? You fucked up Sesshomaru dude? What was you thinkin'? I got fifty laying on the Falcons next game."

"If you already know the details ain't no sense in elaborating."

"The shit you speak," Ryuukotsesui dug around his pocket for his droid and scanned it until finding the youtube video that hit a record six million hits since Saturday. "Do you see this shit? _Do. You. See. This. Shit?_ You look like you ridin' this man's bronco. And I know he's dragging a boat between his legs. Have you seen the way he walks? Like titanium alloy stuffed in those draws, hm."

"Anyway," Inuyasha cut through, irritated. "He threatened me, I responded, his ass tasted dirt, the end. Ain't nothing more to the story then what folks got in their heads."

Ryuukotsesui shook every strand of dark red hair on his head, brown eyes determined, "Nope I think not. I know you Inu. There ain't a lot that can get you riled up like that. Even when we found that lil girl's body the other week you didn't lose your cool. Something's up." And then he ate a pile of jambalaya.

This gave Inuyasha some time to try and cover his tracks before he revealed too much. Ryuukotsesui's perceptive skills were better than that Chloe chick. You could say one thing and he'd pounce it to redefine what you really meant. Inuyasha sat back to think—

"Don't even think about lying. I see the smoke signals from here."

Ok new plan, "What'd they say about the lil girl we found?"

"Nice try, you got the report on that the other day. Forensics said she was strangled after being raped. Vagina scarring, stress on the bones, bites on the buttocks, etc. You know the details," The subject was changed to something Ryuukotsesui hated talking about. Sad as the subject was, it worked, "And I ain't up for sayin' anything else on it. We need to catch his ass and that's all there is too it."

"We chasing thin air out there. No witnesses, no evidence, and no sightings of a car or description of what he looks like. That's where our real focus needs to be and not on me and what happens in my life."

"Alright, alright," Ryuukotsesui held his hands up in defense. "You don't wanna talk about grinding your dick on this dude's ass, hey I'm all for it."

They ate on in silence from there. There wasn't any tension, just a flattened understanding to let something go when it needed to be. But Inuyasha knew he saw that twinkle in his friends eye that they'd discuss this later off the clock and he'd probably be dropping by for a visit. Oh well, it wasn't like he couldn't use the company.

* * *

Fifth and Destin huh?

Call him a stalker if you wanted but this was an art not few could professionalize the way he was doing. Sesshomaru sat inside a rental impala, sunglasses on, baseball cap, and long everything on his body to hide it all from potential fans. It took him a while to pick which apartment complex to stalk until settling with this one. Something told Sesshomaru he'd find what he wanted right here.

He'd tried weaseling the information out of Naraku again but came up short. The same with Koga who only have him a grime expression, which further said he was on his own when getting the information he needed. Koga wouldn't give him Inuyasha's phone number, and the hanyou wasn't listed in the phone directory and Sesshomaru searched through the internet for two whole days before just going along with what Naraku had said last weekend.

A thousand scenarios were running through his mind on what he would find here. Inuyasha living here with one of his old teammates—and Sesshomaru prayed it wasn't that one because he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't raise all kinds of ape shit—, and other stuff he didn't feel like thinking on.

However the plan was this; he wouldn't confront Inuyasha here not on his familiar grounds. After letting the air cool between them, Sesshomaru would find a way to meet him and discuss their issues like civilized adults without the influence of alcohol and just go from there. Maybe they could smash this whole thing between them and he could move on with his life. Sesshomaru had been thinking of proposing to Kyora, but didn't think it fair to him if Sesshomaru was too hell bent on being pissed with Inuyasha.

When this was over, then he could move on with his life.

Sesshomaru sat up in his seat when two marked police vehicles rode by his parked car. He recognized Inuyasha's head immediately but not the second person following him from behind. The cars parked adjacent each other. Inuyasha hopped out first, moving around to the back seat to grab some bags.

The other guy popped out a second later with bright red hair, olive skin and smiling too much. He circled around his car and went to Inuyasha's passenger side. Curious, Sesshomaru cranked up his car and pulled around, inching by. He saw a large pink and white stripped bag thrown on Inuyasha's shoulder and then red guy pulling back with something in his arms.

Sesshomaru froze as all color drained from his face, his markings and his eyes as he spotted the tiny child nestled comfortably in the man's arms. The little girl was smiling at Inuyasha like he was her God and reaching for him to hold her. She was his damn near double with those ears. She had short black hair dressed with yellow ribbons to match her overalls and baby doll shoes. She looked young. Two or three years old at best; around Miroku's age.

Sesshomaru sat back slowly, thinking, pondering, wondering and then had to remember to keep his eyes focused forward. Inuyasha had a child. Was it with that red haired cop following them up stairs? No, no, this guy was a full demon. Probably his damn boyfriend or something. And the girl had black hair.

But back to the point at hand. Inuyasha had a baby. When? Naraku never mentioned Inuyasha having a kid with him unless Koga didn't know or was holding out or . . .

Wait.

So. . .

"Oh shit," Sesshomaru whispered anger roaring like volcanic acid in his chest. As soon as Inuyasha disappeared inside, Sesshomaru sped off down the street furious.

He had to leave, he needed to clear his head, he needed to think. Inuyasha had a baby no older than Miroku for sure. Was that why he—"Fuck!" Sesshomaru slammed his palm hard on the steering wheel, chomping down hard enough to taste the copper salt of blood on his tongue.

If this was what he was thinking, God help him he was going to kill Inuyasha.

And enjoy doing it.


	6. What Just Happened

**Author's Rant:** Oh my damn lol. Some of ya'll are glutens for drama lol. Thanks for reading.

* * *

**What Just Happened**

* * *

Coach Herman considered this a blessing in disguise. During Sunday's game Sesshomaru was a wrecking machine made for plowing through the walls of testosterone and surging through with anger like nothing he'd ever seen. The spirit of a water buffalo stampeding with a wild disposition to crush its enemy to dust. Sesshomaru was worth ten of those metaphors and more. For the tenth time since practice started he took down nearly half the defensive line and had them dragging their asses off the field in pieces.

Making a peace cross across his chest and kissing his fingers to the kiss, Coach Herman secretly wished for whoever had pissed off Sesshomaru to keep the water boiling until next Sunday. This was the kind of energy he needed from his quarterback. By three o'clock in the afternoon, Herman called off practice for the team to go shower and prepare for tomorrow's eight o'clock.

Some would be sporting some tender asses and cramped legs for a couple of days. Sesshomaru on the other hand was revved up to his neck with needing to release this anger. "Hey Ryoga!" He shouted to the man ten feet away.

The team's safety gave him a dull look mixed with a curt chin that said he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk to the man who nearly fucked up his hip.

"Wanna pull a twenty?"

"With you?" Ryoga blinked at him as if he'd lost his entire mind. "Hell nah, you got the hurdle buddies for that. I ain't got another leg to spare for ya." And with that sternly put out, Ryoga did his best walk off the field with a shred of his pride, with a slight limp.

Sesshomaru snorted a moment later, unstrapping his helmet and freeing his hair melted flat to his skull in clumps and drenched in sweat, "Fuck it." Half the team was tripping. All of them acting like he didn't show his best at each practice. When he came, he came with power, nothing more, nothing less. Sesshomaru would call some of them on their hater modes but bumped it all together. He wasn't in the best moods anyway.

He walked inside the shower room where the tension was thick enough to shroud the room in a blizzard. Some were bitter from practice still. That's all well and good because he had to deal with that on a daily basis anyway. What was a little disturbing was the way eyes would dart to the side when he turned to face them and turn right back on him to drill a hole in his skull. Gestures were made between players, who thought they were being discreet. Then without warning the entire locker room erupted with a volcanic laugh that started with a mild chuckle and the rest to follow suit.

Sesshomaru was flat out confused, missing the joke all together and pissed cause the noise startled him, "The hell's so funny?"

"You man," Muso recovered first, eyes in tears. "Dude you been fired up since Inuyasha laid your ass out!" He barked in laughter again, holding his stomach with one hand and the other cupping Sesshomaru's shoulder. "Look, please tell me what was going through your mind when you got dropped? Please share the moment, I wanna bask in that precise instant you realized all your shit was literally laid out!" Muso thought he was so funny. The whole team did. "Whoa shit, I'm dyin' my stomach hurt! Ho-ly—man Naraku came to mama house and spilled it out. Showed us the youtube video and everything."

"I got it right here!" Said Williams from the other side of the room. "Put that shit in my favorites and watch-laters and my facebook." Everybody scrambled to his end as he pulled out his IPhone. Sesshomaru knew the minute the video played when the buzz of the party echoed through the suddenly quiet locker room. The muffled argument came, thankfully swallowed by the noise of the party goers but the smack of his face cracking that floor—shit had it been that hard?

Muso was done, so done. He found a perch and parked his ass right there to laugh to his heart's content. "Lord help me, my cousin got _got _by a light weight!" Seriously, Sesshomaru fumed inside. It wasn't that damn funny.

"Hey, hey but he was a fine lightweight." One of the players said.

"Oh hell yeah, sho' nuff is."

The dog demon turned around slowly, as slow as the crackle before an ice icicle stabbed the ground.

The atmosphere changed. The amusement became a provocative set of growls, seductive lip licks and murmuring promises of what would have happened if placed in Sesshomaru's position. "He a mix breed too from the looks of it. Check this, you see all that hair and those ears? I bet 'cha he whimpers just like a puppy when that g-spot is tabbed just right."

"You wanna find out?" Williams urged. "I know a couple of folks who work at the precinct. I can get 'cha hooked up."

"Man I ain't lookin' for a hook up. I wanna fuck this puppy's brains loose until he stuttering in tongues."

Sesshomaru was crossing the room, the stride of a prowling tiger, eyes soaked in red and irises polished green. His movements were silence wadding on a cloud of rage. No one saw him moving before he was half way across the room, claws crackling and fangs erected.

Muso recognized an atomic bomb when he saw one and made quick work of cutting off his cousin by the arm and dragging him to the shower bins. Sesshomaru didn't go without a mild struggle and face distorted into a sheet of jagged stripes and a crooked moon. "Chill out, you know they just talkin' noise." Muso said disdainfully. "But even if they weren't why the hell should you care?"

Like a pitch of ice water poured on his face, Sesshomaru snapped back to all his regulatory in a blink. He studied around the porcelain floors, silver faucet heads and then on his cousin leaning against the wall with folded arms and a bare chest. He saw the disapproval in Muso's face and sighed long, "Old habits die hard," was his pitiful explanation. "Ya know I got a bad spot for people talking shit about Inuyasha."

"Which boggles the hell outta me," Muso groaned and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Are you kiddin' me? You still waddling in that mud after its dried? What's it gonna take for you to let the dogs lie? Inuyasha has moved on. It's over and done with. From that video, it couldn't be clearer that he ain't feelin' you, wanting to see you or wants you talking to each other."

"That's too damn bad because I need to talk to him."

"For what?!" Muso hissed incredibly. "He left you. He gave you some bullshit excuse about why ya'll couldn't be together. He's the one who left our family feeling confused and upset for weeks 'cause we couldn't find him. And now all of sudden we found out his ass been here all this time? He didn't even think to apologize and as far as I'm concerned Inuyasha ain't nothing but a scheeze. Always have been, always will be." With all of it laid out as real as it could get, Muso refolded his arms, defenses high and ready to go to battle with whatever Sesshomaru had in gear to fight with.

The way his face loss all its weight in expressions said he wasn't ready for the kind of gear Sesshomaru had under his sleeve, "Did you know Inuyasha had a baby?"

Muso froze, became pale and looked to the floor. He side glanced Sesshomaru with enough guilt on his face to start a trial.

"You knew," Sesshomaru flatly confirmed.

"Nah, not really. I mean, shit, I heard rumors that he'd had a kid but I never thought about confirming because it didn't have anything to with the fam. So I was like, hey, if he wanna get knocked up by some other fool, that's his business." Muso shrugged his innocence.

He had no idea how deep that raked through Sesshomaru's chest. The way his face paled, became an wall between his markings—Sesshomaru felt sick to his stomach. "Fuck," He hissed dully, wiping down his face with a clammy hand. Inuyasha with a child. The baby girl looked about two or three. She had the hanyou's ears, but she was too far away to tell much else. Jumping to conclusions was what got his ass sacked the first time but. . . Sesshomaru felt a deep rooted need to know.

Was Inuyasha pregnant when he left? Was that why he left? Had he . . . had he cheated on Sesshomaru and wound up with some other man's baby? It was too much of a coincidence It'd explain a whole lot in terms of sudden disappearance, no logical excuse and leaving without facing the consequences of his actions.

"Sesshomaru," A clap on his back rocked Sesshomaru down to earth. Muso stood behind him, forehead pinched with frown lines. "You good son?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm cool," Sesshomaru said too fast and unsteady for Muso's comfort.

"Sure man, do better. What's on your mind?"

Should he say what's plaguing him? How would it look to theorize to his baby cousin that Inuyasha's child was a toddler, too old to be a recent birth and . . . Sesshomaru shook his head, deciding the world was spinning too fast for him and squawked down to the floor.

"Shit man sorry," Muso said after a beat of silence, joining Sesshomaru on the floor. "I'm trippin' I wasn't even thinking about what I said." At Sesshomaru's light frown, Muso explained. "The baby. You probably thinking about how it should've been yours and not some other man." Muso gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. "Don't linger on that Sesshomaru. Please man, I ain't trying to see you go now that road again. He ain't worth it." After two more pats, Muso rose made Sesshomaru promise to go do some productive besides sulking and left to gather his gear and go home.

Now in the stalk quiet, it left Sesshomaru with a herd of questions trembling his mind and the image of that little girl in Inuyasha's arms. Muso was right or he could be. That little girl was supposed to be Sesshomaru's. How long he and Inuyasha had been together, shit, everyone thought it was inevitable that they shared a long dramatic life. From playing kick ball in the streets all the way up to finally confessing to each other that there was so much more . . . yeah it should've been assured.

Sesshomaru couldn't let it go. It was impossible. Now with seeing that little girl, he just had to know.

And he planned on finding out as soon as possible.

* * *

This day didn't want to end. For every hour turning, Inuyasha had at least three crazy calls out throughout Atlanta having to do with some dumb shit. Here it was only nine twenty six and he'd already had two domestics, one drunk, crack addict, two false alarms, some crazy bitches booming noise about someone fucking someone else's baby daddy and lord help him, if he don't catch this fool this running he'd light up all of the east street.

"Stop!" He hollered, winds cutting his throat raw as he snapped around the building through an alleyway.

There'd been a report about suspicious activity taking place some abandon buildings. An old woman wasn't comfortable with her grandkids talking to some older teens and come to find out they were Blood gang members, scoring dime bags, cash and weaponry. As soon as Inuyasha spotted them, he called in for backup in case of a possible live fire. The two criminals took off sprinting like mad. Inuyasha choose the dealer as his target of pursuit and left his car to give chase. That'd been five minutes ago and both Inuyasha and the young Blood were tearing through the streets and allies like running from a trail of gasoline to their fire.

The dealer kept glancing over his shoulder to see the wild eyed officer riding his ass hard. He made a sharp turn down between two shotgun houses, leaping over the tall fences and a yellow tricycle, knocking over every trashcan in reach. "Mother—Fucker!" Inuyasha gasped, hurling over each obstacle like a track star. This fool just set himself up for the okee doke.

Inuyasha hated running after folks. Shit has his chest hurting and breathing fucked up. So help him, if he could get his claws in this boy's collar—"Halt goddamn it!"

"Fuck you!" Shouted the dealer.

They turned down Dodge and Riverboat. Inuyasha slowed down. He recognized this area just fine, smirked evilly and backtracked down another street. The young man, on the other hand, kept the speed flooding through his Air Forces, smacking the concrete for dear life. He foolishly glanced over his shoulder and paled. Where the fuck was the cop? Ain't no way he lost him, from the way that dog eared freak was breaking records. He slowed a bit, hand braced along the wall but still backing up with frantic nerves.

Blue eyes danced across the streets, all the openings, shit he even looked between his legs to be sure the guy wouldn't pop from anywhere unexpected. After some time without a sign of him, the dealer grinned and sighed a fat cheek blow, chuckling stupidly. Legs were wobbling on the brink of defeat as he bent over to catch his breath.

The dealer hadn't even noticed the dark figure that shot past him, being too caught up in his imaginary victory.

Inuyasha's nightstick struck the back of his head like black lightning. The kid was nothing but squirming legs, breathless whimpers and curses words.

"The fuck man? You cracked my shit? For real, ah I'm bleedin'. My back and legs were wide open!"

"Shut the hell up," Inuyasha snapped, huffing angrily. "You had me running all up and through here. I'm about two miles from my car and—dude don't work my nerve a'ight? You lucky I got Christ on my side. Get up!" Inuyasha yanked the troublemaker up by his collar, snapping both his arms behind his back.

"Hey, hey, ain't you gonna read me Miranda?"

"Try exercising your right to shut the fuck up," Inuyasha clicked on his radio. "22-10."

"22-10," Copied the intercom.

"I have a transport here on, uh," Inuyasha looked around for the street sign. "Uh, shit, Lancome and Brookley Ave. Have a unit scooting the area within a ten mile radius for a young Caucasian lizard demon, about 5'9, wearing a red polo and dark blue jeans. He has tattoos around his neck and a thick white tail."

"10-4, Unit 198 and 254 is in route."

"10-4." Inuyasha clicked off, eyes daring the young Blood to say a word. He did politely remember to read the man his Miranda rights after cussing him out from out from point A to B and demanding answers on who it was he was tossing deals with. Naturally, the Blood refused to snitch—even after Inuyasha threatened him twice with the nightstick.

It was another five minutes before the marked units came, one for the transport and the other carrying the other escapee after finding him hiding behind a dumpster. Inuyasha checked finished writing out his report and checked his watch. He had about another half hour before lunch. He could swear in the reports, check in with Ryuu and see if they had anything else for him to do in HQ. Sango wasn't going to be able to watch Zaya like he needed, so he had to catch an early reprieve.

He drove back to the department and went about finishing up tight ends here and there when he caught Ryuu grinning like his birthday came early. "What's up?"

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at him suspiciously, "Not much," He said slowly, placing his pen back in his pocket. "Why you smiling so hard?"

"Mannnnn," Ryuu swung a chair around and straddled the back, not sparing a single tooth in his smile. "You won't believe who came here while you were out."

"Lemme guess, your test results?"

Not even that made him lose his smile, "Keep crackin' jokes baby. I'm about to make you feel two inches tall."

"So those test results were negative then?"

"Even smaller," If Ryuu smiled any hard his face would crack in half. Inuyasha wished it would. "Sesshomaru Espada."

Every drop of color drained out of Inuyasha's face. It must've been the precise reaction Ryuu was looking for because he started whooping with that stupid snort laugh of his. And he kept on laughing, slapping his knee, making a literal show of himself. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and reached out to slap him in the back of the head. "Can you be any louder?" Hissed Inuyasha. "What was he doing up here?"

"Looking for you, who else? Naturally he'd want to sue the cop who embarrassed him in front of half a thousand people. Whewwww, he's comin' for that ass boy."

Right as if he was coming for that again. Inuyasha sunk back in his chair, and dropped his head in his hands. That'd happened a week ago. Was Sesshomaru really that pissed about all that? If he hadn't tried to run up on Inuyasha like he had, there wouldn't have been a spectacle to worry over. And what was the big deal anyway? Cops handled athletes like that all the time. It wasn't like the media would forever stay glued to this one particular subject anyway. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"Nah, he just came in wearing some big ass sunglasses, and marched straight to the captain's office."

Inuyasha relaxed a little, "So how you know he was comin' for me then?"

"Do better Shikon, ain't no way this man gonna waltz in here out of the blue not long after you had 'em eating tile."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and promptly left Ryuukotsesui talking around his tongue. He wasn't stupid. Sesshomaru's always been that predictable. He was one of those sort of guys who refused to let shit die and would forever haunt you until he got even. Why should Inuyasha have thought he wouldn't take it this far was beyond him. Anyway he didn't have time to deal with this. It was almost four. He needed to pick up Zaya from the daycare and have dinner ready for her before bed time.

Inuyasha left HQ with a hurried pace, chopping down the stairs, swinging his keys around his index finger. He was contemplating between vegetable stir fry or making some mac and cheese with candied yams, or maybe some smothered pork chops when his cell phone rung. Inuyasha stopped by his car, and pulled out his phone. The ID read unknown. He picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

No answer at first.

"Hello?" Inuyasha retracted the phone to see if the caller was still on. "Who's this?"

A deep, ghostly rumble rose off the speaker, making Inuyasha's skin crawl. "You know who this is." Said the caller. "Miss me baby?"

Inuyasha gripped his phone until the edges whine for mercy, "Oh you got some damn balls callin' me." Inuyasha didn't need others hearing. He dropped inside his squad car and shut the door, locking every lock and being sure every window is sealed shut. "How did you get my number?"

Another chuckle, "Come on now, you know I got my ways. When I want my puppy, all I have to do is come get 'em. So how ya been?"

"Fuck you," Inuyasha spat venomously.

"Ohhh I'd love too but you know how things get for me. I'm too busy to come by and handle that."

Inuyasha jumped involuntarily when a shadow rushed by the corner of his eye. Then he realized his fingers were shaking, and clasped his hand together with a frown and a long winded sigh, "Don't call me anymore. I gave you what you wanted, the shit's done."

"Nah, nah baby this shit ain't done. It can never be done 'cause you see, what I want," The caller's voice grew huskier, illegally seductive in Inuyasha's ear. "You refuse to give me. It'll be over when I have you strapped down on my bed and riding that ass until you remember who you belong too."

Inuyasha had to laugh. He just had too. It came out like wilder then a witch in a broom factory, "And I belong to you right? Lemme tell ya something _partna,_ you come near me, so you much as breath in my direction, I'ma have your ass deep fried and laid to the side in a fuckin' ditch without a hint of evidence to find."

"Ssss, oh suga' I love when you talk dirty." The chuckles grew longer, smoother, and as languid as a satisfied snake. "We'll how you feel about that later on."

"Try me. The actions will speak for themselves."

"I will baby boy. I will. Love you." _Click._

Inuyasha nearly cracked his phone in his hand. _You don't need to do this. Don't let him get in your head, _he told himself over and over and over again. Inuyasha blew out hard. That was the problem. He couldn't help this monster playing games with his head, always lurking round in some corner waiting like a predator.

He was getting so sick and tired of this bullshit. _Memories and slide show flashes of his arms thrown above his head, pinned down by strong hands, hips thrusting until they slammed into his own, his joyful cries at the sensation of being so full and sated— _Inuyasha closed his eyes to control his breathing. Life refused to play a part in bringing him peace. It was all he really wanted. A peaceful eventful free life for him and his child.

Between dealing with Sesshomaru and this psychotic jackass, there was only so much more Inuyasha could take before feeling completely zapped of his energy.

He took ten minutes to collect himself, clapping his hands against his cheeks and have his head a good dog shake. No negativity, no bad thoughts no craziness. He was off tomorrow and he planned on using every minute there to spend time with his baby girl.

* * *

The next morning, Inuyasha ushered a sleepy Zaya out of bed for breakfast and a quick wash before putting on a warm Dora the Explorer Sweater and pants seat with the Boots backpack and soft suave boots to match for the cool morning. He found himself some acid stained blue jeans, a light black turtle neck and a dark tan vest to match his Timberlands. Today was going to be strictly for thrill. He banished every thought imaginable that could ruin this special day and he'd be damned to hell if he let dominate his thoughts when he had a bright eyed baby girl to make happy.

And she was a bouncing ball of glee in her daddy's back seat, safely secured in her car seat. "Where are we goin', Daddy?" Zaya bounced up and down in her seat like a bunny on carrot speed.

Inuyasha smiled in the rearview mirror. "It's a surprise. Daddy can't say yet."

"P'easssssse p'etty p'eassssse tell me!" She pleaded with ocean huge eyes and a pouty lip. "I be your bestest best f'iend in the world."

"Nope, it's a secret."

"I wuv you thiisssssss much," She opened her arms as wide as she could, puppy ears twitching with excitement.

"But you already love Daddy that much."

"I wuv you a bunch more!"

Inuyasha chortled under his breath. Trust his little diva to bargain her love in exchange for a secret. Call him a fool for spoiling her rotten but it couldn't be helped. Really, just look at that round face, those bright expressive eyes and fluff hair. Those two fuzzy ears were just the icing on the cake. Zaya was just an adorable image of Inuyasha himself and who was he not polish up perfection?

They arrived in front of a tiny building on the outskirts of town: it was a tiny, squeaky-clean kind of ice cream parlor complete with the painted red stars, swirling red strips on an outside bar and yellow curtains hanging over the windows and glass door with daffodils perched on the window sills. First there was a tense silence, and a surprised squeal before Zaya shot off like fireworks when she spotted the quaint little shop and started clapping her hands and kicking her feet, "ICE C'EAM! DADDY ICE C'EAM!

Marble Slabs Ice Cream Parlor. They'd built this one close to Piedmont Park where he planned to take Zaya to the tiny music festival for children taking place. It'd be her first one and his millionth one. It was one thing to attend for security purposes, but something else entirely when going for the sheer pleasure. "That's right baby, we're getting some ice cream."

"Yay! Daddy get me!" She squirmed impatiently in her seat, wanting bad to get out and run rapid. "Hurry Daddy!"

"Comin' baby, I'm comin'." Inuyasha got out first, naturally watched his surroundings and bent inside the back seat to unbuckle Zaya's seatbelt, straps and to put back on her left boot. "Come on," He heaved her up in his arms, grabbing her baby back pack.

"Oh, Oh daddy lookie, daddy lookie!" Zaya's mouth was a perfect O, seeing the festives take place across the street. Pitched tents of every color, toy booths, obstacle courses laid out for families to enjoy, playground equipment, swing sets, and the smell of hot dogs, all of it was twice as exciting as seeing the county fair from a distance. "Daddy I wanna p'ay, p'easss, p'eassss." She clasped her hands together, forgetting all the ice cream.

"Ice cream first."

Zaya sighed like he'd give her the burden of the world and sunk heavily in his arms, "Mmkay," She huffed and puffed, lips poked way out. Inuyasha tapped it and she sucked it back in with a silly grin.

Inuyasha immediately sort out a booth next to a window panel, with a clear open view of the festival across the street. A waiter came by to place a booster seat next to Inuyasha and with some seat wiggles, both hanyous got comfortable. Inuyasha picked up a menu, glancing over the contents. Zaya, seeing Inuyasha's concentrated expression, mimicked him by staring at her children's menu with the same focus.

Inuyasha smiled and pressed his finger in her stomach. "What kind of ice cream you want to eat?"

"Hmmm," Zaya tapped her chin. "I t'ink I want this, this, this and this." She pointed to everything on the menu.

"Alright, one large banana split and vanilla dots with chocolate sprinkles." Light chocolate sprinkles. He didn't need her sprinting from here to Alabama like a gazelle. The waiter returned to place their order and brought it out minutes later. Inuyasha had an impressive five scoop vanilla banana split with two bananas, five spliced strawberries and enough chocolate syrup to terrify a dentist. Zaya was a purring kitty. For every scoop Inuyasha feed her she hummed and danced about like he'd presented a heap of gold covered crayons.

Without warning Zaya gasped and coughed. Inuyasha thought she was choking and stood up to pat her back, holding her arm. "You alright baby girl?"

Zaya nodded. "Hmm Mmm."

Inuyasha gave her a sip of some apple juice he had in her bag just to be safe and went back to sit with a careful eye on her and his melting ice cream.

"Daddy!"

Inuyasha jumped, "What?"

"Lookie daddy,lookie!" Zaya swayed in her seat, pointing and dancing around. "Daddy it's him!"

"Who?" Inuyasha frowned. He followed her finger. If at all possible, Inuyasha would've died right there in his seat and melted through the floor. The spoon in his hand dropped and so did his mouth.

The bell above the door chimed.

Sesshomaru walked through with a child in each hand and another by his side. And he was looking right at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha saw wild visions pop up in his head from there that left him glued to his seat. He could see Sesshomaru's disgusted expression when he saw him. He could see his horrific reaction to Zaya's existence and the questions would explode.

What wasn't included in those visions was Zaya escaping from her seat, crawling under the table and running up to Sesshomaru gawking at him and the children.

Inuyasha froze. Then he glanced by his side, praying he had conjured up Zaya's disappearance and what she announced next.

"I know you!" She exclaimed happily, pointing a stubby finger seven feet high. "You're the Prince!"

Inuyasha reeled and nearly fell out of his seat. _What the—oh God_.

He stole at glance at Sesshomaru's face and saw the chiseled clench of his jaw.


	7. Aged Old Emotions

**Author's Rant: **Enjoy the next chapter babycakes. ^_^

* * *

**Age Old Emotions**

* * *

Well. This was a rather, unexpected announcement. Sesshomaru found the higher powers playing with his decision. The saying was _tell God your plans and he'll have a good laugh_. Inuyasha's face looked the complete opposite of amusement. His hazel eyes glowed with the growing gloom before a rain storm. The way his ears drooped and half his face was hidden behind the booth would've made an excellent image for a children's starvation commercial.

This was Sesshomaru's awfully blessed opportunity to see this child up close and do some comparisons. Her face bore none of his markings, her skin wasn't as pale. He tilted his head regarding the toddler carefully.

She beamed up at him like he was made of candy gold. She mimicked his head cock. When he turned it to the other side, she did too. Sesshomaru caught the smile on the corner of his lips from spreading to wide.

"Uncle Sess, who's this?"

Oh right. Sesshomaru glanced down at his cousin's little boy. Hakudoshi was pointing at the girl, purple eyes narrowed suspiciously and instant disdain for a rival for his uncle's attention.

"Who dat'!" Miroku demanded too.

"Who?" Was all Kagome could muster up and laid her head on Sesshomaru's shoulder.

"I Zaya," The girl piped up in the nick of time. She curtsied cutely, "And you're the P'etty Prince. You h've the moon," She pointed again with vigor on her tip toes as if that would get her up those seven feet of man.

Sesshomaru nearly reached up to cover said moon; his iconic destruction in public. It became a self-conscious habit when people complimented on its darkness to his skin or when trying to identify him as the rookie player on the falcons. Within minutes he'd be saturated up to his neck with screaming fans, marriage proposals and bribes for the games.

Hakudoshi tapped his foot, "I asked you a question."

Sesshomaru looked down at him, "Do what?"

Now Hakudoshi took on a familiar gesture of his mother's placing their hands on their hips and flopping their heads from side to side with each punctuated word, "I. Said. Who. Is. This?"

Zaya placed her hands on her hips too, "I is Za-ya."

Hakudoshi frowned, "Do what?"

Better intervene before he had a kiddie scrap. Sesshomaru half wished he'd combed over his banes better than assumed to hide his moon. There weren't many people in this shop to see the resemblance or cared, thank goodness.

Sesshomaru kneeled down to put Miroku on the floor and shifted Kagome to his left side—where she clung with desperation when Miroku touched the floor, thinking the same would happen to her— and held out his hand, "My name is Sesshomaru."

Zaya giggled and hid behind her hands. She peeked between her fingers at—maybe something was on his face because she started to giggle hysterically and squirmed on her heels. "I k'ow you silly. You're the Prince."

Again with the Prince thing. An interesting title, and question he'd need to ask the guilty party hiding in the back, but it was kind of cute, "Well if I'm the Prince," He reached out for her tiny hand and pressed his lips on her wrist, "Does that mean you're a princess?"

Zaya snatched her hand free, blushing and squealing and shyly peeking at him from under her fringe. Child or not, she wasn't immune to flattery like any other female. Little Zaya ate it all up. "My daddy says I'm a queen."

Sesshomaru lifted his eyebrow at the little diva, than cocked the opposite one behind. Inuyasha wasn't at the booth. His shoes were, however, marching straight toward them and by the time Sesshomaru stood, Inuyasha was whipping Zaya around and bent down to her eye level mouth and eyes thinly stretched to their limit.

"Zaya, what have I told you about talking to strangers, huh?"

"But he ain't no stra-stra-stwanger daddy. I k'ow him. He's the prince."

"I don't care who he is," Inuyasha lightly shook her shoulders. "You do what your daddy tells you, ya hear me? Don't ever wander like that and talk to anybody when I'm not around. Now stick out your hand. _Now_."

Zaya's eyes widened. "Daddy no, p'ease? I s'rry," She took a step back, poised for flight. Her lone step bumped her back into the twin towers of Sesshomaru's massive legs. All her hopes landed on Sesshomaru when she tossed her head back, eyes watered desperately for his interference.

Well shit. Who could spank anyone with eyes made for melting you like hot chocolate on Christmas Eve? The little thing had a way of gripping your heart between her stubby fingers. "You told her not to talk to strangers. I wouldn't count me since you know who I am." _Or use too_, he wanted to add but why stir an already boiling pot?

Inuyasha cast all sorts of ugly glares Sesshomaru's way, "I said stick out your hand. You want three smacks?"

"But she was talking to me and I wasn't gonna do anything to her." Sesshomaru defended.

"Stick out your hand."

"Inuyasha."

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha sighed and stood. His glances dashed over the three children, recognition shining in his eyes as brief as sunshine through clouds before the shadows overtook them, "Mind your own business. You got your kids. Lemme deal with my child the way I see fit. I raised her not you."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes razor thin, voice full of venom, "And whose fault is that?"

"You know what? Wow," Inuyasha chuckled nastily. "I ain't got time for this. I'm gone."

Just like that? Oh fuck this. Inuyasha opened this can of worms on himself. The time for talk might as well be now. Sesshomaru was sick of dodging the bullet and Inuyasha's running was going to make Sesshomaru raise all kinds of ape shit.

He quickly scoured the languid quiet cafe for a nearby booth to place the children. There was an available one before the one Inuyasha had. Good. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes down, "Stay here," he demanded not asked. The rest he had to lean in and say to save the children's ears from bleeding, "You fuckin' run again, I'ma chase ya ass all down this block. You got me when I was drunk before. I ain't this time."

As should be expected, Inuyasha's ears flattened like discs and he finished the gap between them, spittle landing on Sesshomaru's cheek, "Being somber ain't gonna make a difference. I'll drop your ass here or there. So am I supposed to be scared?

"All you ever do is run so ya tell me?"

The response spared the demon several seconds. Sesshomaru decided to take his chance and picked up Zaya, his glare daring Inuyasha to object. "Haku get Miroku." Zaya squealed and clutched him around the neck. Sesshomaru steadied her with a curl of his arm. The position placed a handful of hair near his nose.

She smelled . . . nice. Baby lotion, ginger snaps and chocolate from her ice cream. Sweet and innocent as a teddy bear. Sesshomaru had the pleasure of watching Inuyasha's mouth flap continuously as he waltzed passed to put the children safely away. Zaya eagerly took the booster offered by the waiter, next to Kagome, while Miroku and Hakudoshi sulked from the other side.

Inuyasha didn't recover fast enough by the time Sesshomaru came marching back, hand out to grip his upper arm and lead them both outside the shop. He didn't stop there of course. Sesshomaru took them around to stand in front of the window so he could watch the kids and have his say.

It was going to be hard. When Inuyasha defiantly ripped his arm free and squared up from shoulder to shoe, all Sesshomaru could think about was his rage and it brewing like a bad potion.

Looking at this hanyou pissed him off all over again. The loss of real love, the ache of rejection, dammit, he wanted to hit something. He needed to move around. Pacing was his option as he whirled to and fro from one end of the window to the next.

"What the fuck do you want Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru stopped walking to deliver the stupidest look of the century, "Are you fuckin' with me Inuyasha? Don't act the stupid ass here. I ain't the one, I swear I'm not." For an instant Inuyasha lost his big man composure and gained it back in the same flash. Sesshomaru caught it anyway. The guilt was written like a permanent marker. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

No answer. Inuyasha gave another reaction. His shoulders quaked, he reached out to hug himself like the air became cooler. It had. The air between them reached below subzero. "I had my reasons." He said at last, though too quiet to sound like a solid explanation.

"Mind tellin' me what they are?" Sesshomaru snapped. "'Cause I think four years is long enough to keep someone in the goddamn dark."

Inuyasha dropped his hands by his side, "Look, don't roll up in here shootin' your mouth off at me a'ight? What I do with my life is up to me, not you. Just drop it and act like you never saw us."

"Boyyy I swear, you better stop talkin' stupid. Goddammit what kind of man do you take me for, huh? Just like that, you expect me to walk away from—" Sesshomaru stopped him to ball his lips against the frustrated growl. "Fuck Inuyasha, I ain't about to turn my back on this. If it were anythin' else I would've dropped your ass like a bad habit. Nah, this ain't a little shit stain you can wipe off and move on. I need to know."

Inuyasha's exterior cracked like the shell of an egg.

"Be real. For once, Inuyasha man up and tell me the truth. Is she mine?"

* * *

How had this happened? One minute he planned to spend the entire day with his daughter, to get out and have a moment where all he had to focus on, was her laughter and his concern about winning her a teddy bear. Inuyasha wasn't supposed to be standing here in the chill, watching Sesshomaru's paleness take on a powder pink and his fangs glint in the morning sun.

And facing this dreaded question, "Shit," Inuyasha pushed back his messy fringe, gazing at the pebbles and rocks like they could alternate this dimension to a place where he wasn't confronted by Sesshomaru's fury.

It was bound to happen. Sooner or later all of this would've came to ahead, but this was too soon. No, this hadn't been long enough for Inuyasha to marinate in his crime and be able to answer the questions with a blank face. He was going to have to own up to every bit with the emotions lay bitterly raw. Damn.

Inuyasha took the deepest, longest breath of his life and lifted his head, sure without a doubt that his eyes shun like the moon's final farewell before an eclipse, "I don't know."

"You don't know," Sesshomaru deadpanned like a balloon stabbed of its air. "So you cheated."

Inuyasha neither denied nor confirmed it. He wouldn't have too. His ears always relayed the message like a couple of flag signals. Maybe confessing would've been easier if Sesshomaru's face didn't become twisted and lagged of all its rage into something more distant and cold. Inuyasha would've rather had that heated glare then the coldness of those eyes.

Sesshomaru cupped his hands over his eyes, drawing in breath after tortured breath. The sounds hollowed when his gloves leather lowered over his mouth. He turned his back to Inuyasha. He couldn't keep still and look at him without wanting to hurt him. Inuyasha couldn't blame him. "When, with you?"

"None of that matters."

"Like hell!" The children jumped. Inuyasha saved their worries with a casual wave that the girls returned and the boys ignored. Sesshomaru turned his face to the festival across the street, his back to the children, to keep the red in his eyes from being seen. "You cheated on me and it ain't important? Inuyasha spare me all that cliché bullshit. I'm not gonna coddle you because of the situation you put your damn self in."

"Who the fuck said I wanted coddlin' from you, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha's pivot put him directly on Sesshomaru's flank. Angling his head in a slight 90 degree gave him the perfect sight-point to slash his now bleeding eyes up at the fool. "I didn't ask you for shit, and don't plan on askin' for shit. I know I made a mistake. I fucked up. But you made your mistakes too Sesshomaru. So don't bring none of that hotty tot mess with me."

"You ain't serious? Ain't no way you gonna throw some age old issues in this. I cheated on you twice, I made up for it each time and begged on my hands and knees to get you back. You said you forgave me, end of story. I'm able to look passed my flaws, and you know why? 'cause there's a lil somethin' called wrapping it up when you laid the pipe. I did. Do you see me with a bunch of baby daddies? No. Do I see you with a baby daddy? God knows how many of those are around here."

Inuyasha visibly flinched under accusation. The tiny speck of regret rose and fell in Sesshomaru like buoy. Times of giving a damn about hurting Inuyasha shouldn't matter. Hell, how long had Sesshomaru been dunked in the dark and gloom, while Inuyasha lived it up with who knows who? No, Sesshomaru deserved the lashing he was delivering and he hoped Inuyasha choked on it.

"You didn't have to put me on blast for the world to know. Since when did you become so cold hearted?"

Sesshomaru felt some of the red receding, but only to where his eyes were tinted with dull carmine, "You outta congratulate yourself. This is the handy work of you leavin' behind my back."

"I was scared Sesshomaru," Some of the bite wasn't nearly as toothy in Inuyasha's tone. His ears were sagging as if drenched in oily water. "I was pregnant, scared for what I'd done and—and your career. I didn't wanna mess that up. You were so close to gettin' signed. You didn't need all that on your mind."

"So by helpin' me you decide not to tell me what's goin' on and run away?" Sesshomaru let all the red leave because none of it would reflect on he was truly feeling. He wanted Inuyasha to see that hurt from four years ago; that kind of atmosphere that rendered Sesshomaru to his knees when reading that letter. So he turned and stared hard until Inuyasha had no choice but to meet his numb gaze. "_I loved you Inuyasha._ Dammit, you were the only one for me. I would've moved hell or high water to make you happy and you didn't think to tell me what was wrong? I would've been there—don't turn your face from me!" He grounded out when Inuyasha made to drop his face to the ground.

Sesshomaru tilted Inuyasha's chin up with the curl of his index. Inuyasha's eyes blazed. The color he possessed was so fierce; even as he took on this punishment he had that fire. All that spunk, all that mouth, Sesshomaru remember all those times he tried to overpower Inuyasha with mere presence. Inuyasha would never back down though. He'd puff out his narrow chest and head butt Sesshomaru's every word.

He missed that so much.

Inuyasha could see it all dancing there too, in all his warm glory. It scared him that the skinny chance existed. He loosened his chin and looked through the window. Zaya was fluttering napkins across the table like ballerina's to entertain Koga's baby girl. The two boys were acting like they couldn't give a damn but both their eyes kept straying away when Zaya's voice elevated on whatever story she was saying.

That only made the guilt worse. "You're lyin'." Inuyasha said quietly, facing Sesshomaru's startled expression. "You say that now, but if I would've told you what happened then, you wouldn't be so forgiving. I cheated with someone else, possibly got pregnant by them and, just wow, Sesshomaru really? You wouldn't have been able to look me in the eye without thinking about someone fuckin' me. So how can you stand here sayin' it matters now? It's over and done with."

"No, no it's not. I would've been there Inuyasha."

"No you wouldn't have—"

"Yes I would!"

"No you wouldn't Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha's breathing carried on another beat, heavily escaping his chest. "You got jealous so damn easily. If I so much as blinked at another man, you raised hell. You got thrown in jail for beating a man who waved at me! You," Inuyasha swallowed hard. "You nearly hit me that night you saw me and Naraku studying in my bedroom, knowing damn well he was dating Koga."

"I," Sesshomaru clamped his mouth shut right away.

"The you that's you now probably would've loved me unconditionally but I knew the old you way back when. You wouldn't do nearly the shit you're sayin' now."

"So it's my fault you hightailed and skipped town? That's what ya sayin'?" Sesshomaru chortle's came from the pit of his stomach and rose like crackles of glass shards. "Ya know what, no it ain't my fault. I showed you how much I truly cared. If I hadn't I wouldn't be as jealous back then. No, I didn't want anyone touching you; I couldn't stand when another man looked at you, because you _belonged_ to me. I would've killed anyone who got near you."

Inuyasha clenched his fists tight, "And's exactly what scared me away! That attitude right there horrified me! I was scared for what it'd do to your career, your life, for fuck's sake Sesshomaru, you weren't ready to be a father anymore then I was!"

"I would have tried Inuyasha!" The red was gradually creeping back. Green laced around his irises, dripping a summery disdain. "You didn't care. You were only thinkin' about yourself and now look what it could've cost us. Four fuckin' years that could've been spent raising kids that should be mine and not some other demon!" His voice was inhuman, a double echo of something devilish and a noosed control on his inner demon.

Inuyasha fastened all his demonic rage the same way. If Sesshomaru decided to fight him now, he'd need to flee. Inuyasha would fight back but not here, not in front of his child.

Instead the complete opposite happened. Sesshomaru straightened up, back still ridged, but his poise human enough to keep the demon's face on and his thirst for control in check. "I want a DNA test," Sesshomaru said after the twentieth pant. All the villains in the world couldn't hold a candle to Sesshomaru's malice. "Inuyasha," he controlled his impulse to lash out and palmed the air as if wishing it were his neck. "You kept her away. You did that shit on purpose. So help me if that child is mine, I'm suing the fuck outta you."

Inuyasha stepped back incredulously, "You're gonna try to take my daughter?"

"If she turns out to be mine, I'm filing for joint custody and if the judge permits it, I'm goin' for full."

Inuyasha's blanched, "Well go on ahead. Do what you have too, but you're not gettin' my baby Sesshomaru. Whether she's yours or not ain't gonna mean shit. Visitation rights is all you're gettin'."

"We'll see," Sesshomaru glanced at the window.

Inuyasha did too. By now all the children were laughing and playing together. Zaya had worked Kagome into being amused at every little thing she did. Hakudoshi was showing the trio how to make salt bounce off a spoon. Miroku ohhed and awed at everything.

Inuyasha's mood dampened. He wished . . . he wished for a lot of things. If it turned out Zaya was Sesshomaru's too, then he'd kept her away from a family that'd adore every hair on her head. Strange how suddenly all that mattered when it hadn't before. For a long time, Zaya had been his main companion, his little rock to get through the days.

"I know she's mine."

Inuyasha blinked. Oh yeah. Sesshomaru was still here. "You don't know that."

Sesshomaru's frown wasn't facing him, but Inuyasha knew it was there. "You don't want her to be?"

"I'm just being realistic."

"Whatever, she's an Espada just like her little cousins. Look at her face. Her nose. Her ears—"

"Those are my ears—"

"That hair," Sesshomaru paused on that part. "Her eyes are violet. Her hair's black." He finally gave Inuyasha his questioning eyes. "Did we conceive her on your human night?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "No Sesshomaru. I'm sterile those nights. " He didn't understand why every idiot thought a hanyou got pregnant because of their human night. What fool started that false fad anyway? That excuse was getting tired. "Doesn't matter. We should've been using the rubber anyway. You knew my blood type was P since we were kids."

"I did know. So then the eyes and ears are from your side and the rest is from mine," Confirmed Sesshomaru. "Only an Espada can charm folks off the bat. She's got her cousin's eatin' outta her hand. And we don't make ugly babies either, so I know she's mine." Pride was woven in there with enough proudness to choke a vanity model.

Inuyasha hid a tiny smile. Trust Sesshomaru to theorize every beautiful thing as being the result of him somehow. Inuyasha felt flattered at least. He wanted Zaya to be his. That was a blessing in itself. Inuyasha sighed, "I'll have my lawyer contact you to make arrangements."

"Alright," Sesshomaru sighed too. All the fight had left both of them. There was sure to be more rounds after this but they'd consider this a draw. "We got a freebie this week so schedule it anytime to fit your convenience. Until then, I'm going inside to spend time with my daughter."

Inuyasha froze, "Say what?"

Sesshomaru was already walking toward the door.

Oh fuck him sideways. "No!" Inuyasha reached him as the door opened. He closed it back and yanked Sesshomaru's heavy ass around. "Don't do that, fool. You'll mess up her head. What if you find out she ain't yours, then you gonna up and leave? Stay the hell away until we can figure out what to do next."

Sesshomaru's cocky smile caused a stir in Inuyasha's pants. That smile. Shit, no. He didn't need to be thinking about stuff like that. "But I told you the girl is mine. I'd know my own child." He pulled free and went inside.

Inuyasha watched him leave. He felt that wiggle of frustration pull a string only Sesshomaru knew how to play. Damn him.

* * *

Of course he knew his child. This wasn't how he'd wanted to get his bloodline started but it was a start.

Finally. Finally when he went to the gatherings he'd have a child too. He'd have his own flesh and blood child sitting in the corner playing with blocks, gurgling all kinds of noise and asking him for apple juice too. Wait, did Zaya like apple juice? No she was probably like him and enjoyed grape. He wondered what her favorite color was? What was she allergic to? Was she afraid of the dark? What's her favorite bedtime stories? Her favorite cartoons? Has she ever been to Six Flags?

So much to learn, so much to look forward too. Sesshomaru felt the prospect of being a father pump bliss in his feet. His smile on the inside could light the way for ships on the darkest night.

But the smile he gave the children could barely overlap a penny.

"Prince!" Zaya called, waving frantically from her seat. She surged to her feet and held out her arms.

Sesshomaru proudly picked her up and held her overhead, staring into those bright sunny eyes. His world rained with sprinkles of her laughter, her beautiful chubby face, her beautiful, beautiful, beautiful smile. Sesshomaru could help it. He brought her down and held her close. She smelled so good, felt so wonderful filling his arms.

God help him, this child was his. No question around it. She was. Sesshomaru heard Inuyasha's disapproval and didn't care to snap at him for being so uptight.

Sesshomaru took his seat with Zaya in his arms and scooped up Kagome in the other, both girls sitting happily in his lap. "Now who wants some ice cream?"

"Me, me, me, me, me!" The children cheered as one.

Inuyasha remained standing by the table.

"Sit daddy sit!" Zaya pointed across the table. "Sit, sit, sit!"

"S'it, s't, s't!" Mimicked Kagome. "S't, s't, s't!" Apparently she liked that word because she wouldn't stop saying it until Inuyasha sat down next to her brother and Hakudoshi.

Whom Sesshomaru noticed kept giving Inuyasha a strange look. Hakudoshi flipped his head from side to side as he would when thinking hard and contemplating how to question it. Sesshomaru ordered them all a round of ice cream in a large glass bowl with plenty bananas, strawberries, chocolate syrup, sprinkles and chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream.

"Uncle Sess?"

Sesshomaru looked at Hakudoshi as he was spooning some ice cream in Kagome's mouth. "Yeah?"

Hakudoshi pointed at Inuyasha's hip, "Is this the man with the fat back? Mama said he had puppy ears."

Inuyasha sputtered around the spoon in his mouth. Sesshomaru grinned, "Who told you that?"

"You said that to Uncle Naraku and Mama when you came by my house. I know. I was getting a popsicle." Haku added in the extreme unlike chance that Sesshomaru didn't believe him. "I heard Uncle Naraku say _does he still have a fat back_? And mama said _he the one with the puppy ears right_? And you said _yeah that's him and he still got that fat back." _Now it was Inuyasha's turn to answer a question_. _"Are you the man with the fat back?"

The spoon was still in Inuyasha's mouth as he glared at Sesshomaru and lightened the leer on the child.

Hakudoshi rolled his eyes when no one answered him so he asked again, "Are you the man with the fat back?" He looked like he was tempted to check himself.

Inuyasha licked the spoon clean, and pulled it free, "I don't know." Sesshomaru looked like the cat who ate the canary when Inuyasha leveled him a promising death threat. "Why don't you ask your uncle if I'm the man with the fat back?"

Sesshomaru showed his apology with a shrug and a wink. What? He wasn't supposed to appreciate the body? He was a man after all. If it looked good he was in his rights to bask in its handsomeness. He caught Inuyasha's tiny smile too. The hanyou always thought no one ever noticed those but he always caught them.

All hatred and attitude aside, Inuyasha was still fine.

The rest of the ice cream delight carried on in comfortable silence, most of the conversation dominated by Zaya asking Sesshomaru all sorts of silly questions like did he have a white horse, a giant castle, a dragon in his backyard, and everything else under the moon.

"Daddy c'n I see the Prince's castle?"

The silence changed immediately. Inuyasha stopped stirring his spoon in the melted ice cream and Sesshomaru looked at him to wait and see what he'd say.

"Uh, we'll see baby."

Sesshomaru didn't take that answer well enough, "You can come whenever ya want, Queen. I'll let you see all my dragons, horses and my big scary cat."

"Ohhh you have a cat?"

"She's gonna be your cat too."

"She is?!"

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha squeezed out of the booth. "Lemme chat with you outside." He threw a thumb over his shoulder and turned on his heel without another word.

A parental disagreement. Sesshomaru should've expected this. But he was looking forward to his first one. "Stay here pumpkin, kay? I need to talk to your daddy."

Zaya giggled at the nick name. "Mmkay."

Sesshomaru tossed a wink and left out the door, a prep in his swagger and a limp nobody could steal from him. Whatever Inuyasha had to say wasn't about to ruin his mood.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Inuyasha spat out.

Sesshomaru shrugged, "Bondin' with my baby."

"Sesshomarrruuuuu," Inuyasha washed his face with his hands. "You can't do that. You just don't do that. Making all these promises, trying to buy her affections—we haven't even taken the test yet. Just-just slow down."

"Slow down? Inuyasha if anything, I need to move as fast as I can. I've missed everything. Her first steps, her first walk, her first smile, three birthdays, three Christmases, three Halloweens," Sesshomaru knew it was hopeless. Inuyasha did spoil his mood. "Which is your entire damn fault to begin with."

"And that's why I don't want you gettin' too comfortable! We don't know if she's yours Sesshomaru. Stop while you're ahead. Whatever lil fantasy you got cooked in your head leave it for _after _the test."

"I know she's mine."

"Then why were so hell bent on getting a test?"

"To get her from you!" Sesshomaru angrily reacted. It all came out like an overflowing faucet. Sesshomaru couldn't hold it back. "You think I want my daughter raised around somebody who's probably parading men in and out his house? You think I want a man raising her who kept her away from her family? You don't deserve her Inuyasha. She needs a stable parent. Someone who ain't gonna always run from his fuckin' problems like you—"

"Alright I get it! Damn," Inuyasha shouted, with a harsh struggle to swallow back his anguish, because of course that is something Sesshomaru should say. It would hurt. He deserved to have his chance to deliver hurt. Inuyasha ran a hand over his hair, and his ears, broken down enough for today. He gulped back something sour. Fuck if he'd start crying in front of Sesshomaru. "Get my number from Koga. Set up the meeting for Thursday or Friday. I'm off then." He left.

Sesshomaru didn't stop him this time. He let the hanyou leave with his daughter and bore the sad eyes of his little family when he went to take them home. Sesshomaru wasn't going to feel bad for what he'd done. He wasn't. No matter how much his chest ached.

He wasn't going to give a shit.

What mattered now was the test. Come Thursday as early as possible. He was going to see if Zaya was his baby girl.

* * *

Inuyasha's cell phone vibrated when he sat back from buckling in Zaya. One look at the screen said unknown. The label spoke louder than words. Inuyasha held back the shattered tone in his voice and answered with a wicked, "What!"

"_My, my, my, is that anyway to answer your lover_?"

"What the fuck do you want now?"

Sweet, acidic chuckles oozed over the receiver, "_Don't be that way baby. I was just checkin' on you to make sure you were alright. I saw Sesshomaru and you havin' a lil chat from over here and you weren't looking so good."_

On a panic filled rotation, Inuyasha's eyes swam across the vicinity. He didn't see him. He didn't see him anywhere.

"_Don't bother lookin' for me sweetheart. You know I'll show myself when I'm ready_," Some more diabolic chuckles.

Inuyasha's skin felt so dirty listening to his freak. "I gave you what you wanted. Just leave me alone."

"_Nah, I told you before what I want, you won't give me. All it takes is one word."_

"No," Inuyasha flatly said.

"_Then expect a call from me from now on until it becomes a yes. Don't toy with me boy, I'll make your life hell."_

_Click. _

Inuyasha leaned back against his car. Life was punishing him it seemed. All his sins were just piling up one after the other.

* * *

**TBC: We'll find out next chapter if Zaya's his. Don't assume anything with me guys. You know I'm always unpredictable and this story's still got a ways to go. **


	8. Results

**Author's Rant:** The results are here guys! Is Zaya his? Read to find out. ^_^

_~Please excuse mistakes. I'm very sleepy~_

* * *

**Results**

* * *

"Ha! Spades all damn day baby! Now, Gimme. My. Mother. Fucking. Money!" Groans were spread all around as Naraku slapped the Big Joker, Little Joker, Ace of Spades, King of Spades and Queen of Spades on the table. It was the most beautiful hand ever known to mankind and here he had it lain out like a comforter set. So many frowns, piss faces and pouty faces exchanged across the table, but none of them belonged to Kagura and Naraku. They were sitting high on their third win and sporting some crafty smiles that had their father suspecting deception.

Takemaru leaned in his chair, digging his hands in his pockets, rocking on the back legs, "You two wouldn't be conning your own daddy would you?"

"Oh lord here we go," Kagura rolled her eyes. "Mama, tell your husband if he can't take his ass whooping to leave the table. Daddy don't start that mess here again. Handle your loss like a man for once."

"No respect of any kind," Takemaru sighed mourning the loss of gratitude from his two eldest children. "If you two cared for me, you'd give your daddy back his money so he can pay his bills."

"Hey, if you can't roll Old Man, you can park it in the living room. You're not getting ya money back and that's that." Naraku cut his eyes at his uncle InuTaisho too for good measure. "You either. I told ya'll what the deal was. Ain't no backies this time."

"Give it up Daddy," Murmured Muso, pushing away from the table. "Naraku and Kagura are the worst kind of sharks. You ain't seeing that money till Christmas."

Izayoi came from the kitchen wiping her hands on a dishrag. Her motherly senses were tingly about a possible brawl between her children and husband. This time she was going to be on her husband's side of the argument because she knew her children better than that. "Naraku pull that copy Joker out of your sleeve and Kagura get that two of hearts out of your bra."

"MAMA!" The two shouted betrayed.

"Don't '_mama' _me. You two know better than to be gambling away your daddy's retirement money. "

"Ha!" Takemaru shot up to his feet with his hand jutted out and his index tapping the center. "Gimme my damn money before I get my belt."

"Dang mama. You gonna do me and K like that but not your other one? Nah, we ain't going out alone," Naraku caught Muso around the rim of his jeans when he tried to sneak out. "Come on Muso cough it up. I saw that ten club when you hid it in your drawers."

"Oh my damn, you snitch on your own brother? Ok cool, since we sharing the love, Uncle Taisho go on and give out your piece too. You put that three of diamonds in your sock, with yo' sneaky old ass!"

Taisho surged from the table, pointing an accusing hand out at his nephew, "Boy you better stop that lying! I ain't ever cheated in my life! Midoriko has a bra full of clubs."

"Ah babe damn," Kagura flopped back in her chair. "I told you to hide them in your sleeve. What the hell you doing stuffing shit in a B cup?!"

Midoriko immediately folded her arms and tightened her sweater around her chest. Her expression read from embarrassed, shamed and then to one that had Kagura scooting her chair into the wall. "I didn't have room to hide my shit because I had your daddy's cards in my sleeves!"

All eyes leveled on Takemaru who had the grace to stand from the table and walk behind his wife in the kitchen. In there, he was securely protected from the demonic wrath glimmering in the dining room. "Well ain't this a bitch," Said Naraku, gathering the cards in a stack. "Ain't an honest soul in here?" He lifted an eyebrow Kagura's way. She didn't catch his eye, being too busy dodging Midoriko's glare. He rolled his eyes and shoved back from the table. "I'll be back."

Leaving the cards neatly shuffled on the table, Naraku shot a dirty eye at his parents before disappearing down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms. When he bought this house not only did he have it built with enough room for his parents to run into each other, he wanted it to have that same old feeling when the entire family came together and spent the night. Everyone had their own spare bedroom and the one closest to the back was his and Koga's.

That's where he found his husband, typing away at his laptop with one hand, writing notes with his other and occasionally reaching out for what smelled like an old cup of cold coffee. Koga looked small sitting on a king size bed and the dark burgundy, cream, and gold interiors just swallowed him alive. He wanted these colors for some reason, saying it helped him process his thoughts faster. Poor thing was cranking those numbers faster than a super computer and look too adorable those big ass geeky glasses. How many times had Naraku told his babe his eyes looked about as big as 40 inch rims?

Naraku chewed inside his cheek to suppress the chuckle, keeping the door slightly cracked. He knocked twice and waited to be allowed inside. Big and burly as Naraku, he didn't stand a chance against one of Koga's bitch fits when interrupted doing his work.

"Just a minute," He called through, fingers sizzling across the keyboard. Koga said nothing else for another five minutes.

Naraku figured out this test months ago before Kagome was born; if he walked in without permission that was an automatic guarantee for blue balls. After one more minute for good measure, Naraku got his permission to walk in. "Hey baby," He closed the door behind him, locking it.

Koga removed his glasses, wiping off the lens with the end of his t-shirt, "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, we finished playing spades for a minute, just wanted to see how you were doin'."

"Oh yeah?" Koga frowned at a small smudge greedily fogging up his glasses and went about rubbing it with extra elbow grease. "Who got caught cheatin' first?"

"Me and Kagura 'cause Mama ratted us out. We almost won that one too."

"Hm Mm," Koga gave up and slipped the oversized bifocals back on. "Did you want something babe, 'cause I'm kinda busy? These accounts due Friday." Cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck in a complete three sixty, Koga wiggled his fingers and went back to typing a million words per minute. "Sess came back with the kids yet?"

"Nah not yet." Naraku grimaced when Koga popped a joint around his neck, possibly the loudest known to mankind. A tiny knot squeezed in Naraku's chest when he saw Koga's eyes squeeze shut and open them back. He was stressed again and for what? Naraku tried god knows how many times to convince his mate to stop working and just live off his income. Of course the wolf demon wouldn't hear of it and demanded he have some kind of work. And here he was working more so than he needed too.

"I'm fine Naraku." Naraku blinked innocently, but Koga's wink said he knew all. "What? The nose doesn't lie. And there's something else ain't it?

Yeah, yeah there was something else. Naraku dropped his eyes behind his banes then sighed. His scent couldn't lie and he found it twice as hard to lie since he and Koga got married. He slid further into the room without further thought. Koga reached out for him and Naraku pushed his lover back against the bed, draping his body over his, pressing chest to chest, entwining Koga's arms with his, and laying his forehead against Koga's shoulder. "Sesshomaru's on his way over here."

Koga tangled his hand in Naraku's hair, "It's about time the kids came back anyway, yeah?"

"Yeah," Naraku shifted until he could see Koga's eyes. "Sess saw Inuyasha. He had the little girl with 'em. He's pissed."

Koga stiffened, then released his tension in a long winded sigh, "Shit. How much did you tell him?" It was Naraku's turn to freeze up. Koga snickered softly, "You can't hold water Naraku. What other reason would Sesshomaru be pissed off for?" He knew this talk was going to come up eventually when he saw Inuyasha again. It was only going to be a matter of time before Koga told Naraku and Naraku told Sesshomaru. There was going to be all kinds of hell now. "So what now?"

"He's comin' to announce what happened. Said something about a paternity test and some legal shit."

"Wait," Koga sat up a little, forcing Naraku back on his stomach. Koga gave him a puzzle frown. "He's not plannin' to take Zaya away is he?"

"Why not? If she's his child, Sess got every right to take the girl from Inuyasha. Who wants their child raised with someone that scandalous?"

"Inuyasha isn't like that," Koga deadpanned.

"Of course you'll take up for the hoe because you're friends but see it from Sesshomaru's perspective. Here he is still lost in love with a dude who left him and shows up outta the wood works with a child that he doesn't even know is his?" Naraku crawled forward, bracing his hands on either side of Koga's head. "What would you expect me to do if I found out you did some shit like that?"

"First of all, I wouldn't do that to you and secondly don't go around insultin' him when you don't know the whole story." Koga wormed himself from under Naraku's arm trap and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Then what's the whole story? Tell me so I can understand what's going down," Naraku sat on the edge of the bed too. "Come out with it, if it's so damn important as to keep a man from his baby, this shit better be good."

Koga side glanced him, hesitated then looked at his fingers intertwining together. "I can't say."

"Can't or won't."

"Both. Trust me, its best you didn't know."

Naraku leaned away from like he saw something crawl on Koga's face, "A secret? What I said about keepin' shit from each other? We're supposed to be honest with each other Koga."

"I know that, but just—damn Naraku, it's not like the secret will hurt us directly. Shit," Koga got to his feet. The front door just opened. He could smell Sesshomaru's anger and the anxiety rolling off his children. "Look I don't wanna discuss this alright? Sess just came in anyway."

Naraku grabbed Koga's hand, gripping hard and the other catching his head. He pulled Koga in and kissed him so hard Koga opened his mouth with a gasp. Naraku's tongue snaked around the same way his fingers tangled in Koga's hair. It was his own way of referring his frustration he once said. This kind of channeling sometimes lead to sex, but the way the kiss softened and Naraku broke it off to lick Koga's cheek, said this wouldn't be the case this time.

"You scarin' me now," Naraku confessed. He dropped his forehead against Koga's. "You never kept a secret from me before."

Koga swallowed and shivered. The deep huskiness in Naraku's voice always melted and clung to him like candle wax. "I know."

"And you still won't tell me?" Koga's silence pretty much said all Naraku needed to know. His hands slipped by his side as he stepped away. The chill between their bodies was like a magnet wanting to recapture the warmth. "Fine," Naraku walked around him, going for the door. He unlocked the lock and gripped the handle, "Koga, so help me, this better not be some shit that can drag us down too. We got our own family to think about. Keep that in mind the next time you wanna keep secrets."

And then he left, leaving Koga wondering for the first time . . . if he should keep Inuyasha's secret.

There was youki floating off him in waves. Sesshomaru suppressed back the nasty growls burrowing in the back of his throat and tried his hardest to control the blood boiling in his veins. It was tough, it was difficult but he'd done exactly what he said he wouldn't do when it came to Inuyasha.

He let the bastard get under his skin and damn it all to hell, he just wished he could've—done something, anything to get rid of this anger.

Sesshomaru parked his Tahoe outside his aunt and uncle's house, breathing hard and steadily remembering where he was. He took a deep breath looked in the back seat. The children were all staring back at him wide eyed and nervous. What could he say to them? Each one knew what it felt like when a grown demon was feeling agitated and were right to keep quiet, but he wasn't the kind to strike children with fear.

And no doubt his face was reflecting his aggravation with the jagged stripes, fucked up eyes and fangs. "Come on," he said a little too rough. Hakudoshi scrambled out of his seatbelt and helped Miroku get out of his car seat. Sesshomaru reached for Kagome. She slinked away, round eyes bubbling with tears. Sesshomaru sighed and took her in his arms, patting her back and carefully picked up Miroku when he started tearing up too.

Damn, he couldn't walk inside with the children riled up. Midoriko and Koga would rip him to pieces if they sense the children distressed. He kneeled down to Hakudoshi's eye level. He was struggling to keep his tears at bay. Sesshomaru grabbed the kids in the circle of his arms and hugged them tight, "Shhh, I'm sorry. Uncle Sesshy's sorry kay? I'm not mad at ya. I love you too much to be mad. It's not your fault" He leaned back. Some of the tears dried up. The boys were fine but Kagome was still nervous. It'll have to do.

Sesshomaru gathered the kids and knocked on the door. He could hear some of the commotion in the house. Footsteps came to the door, pushed back the curtains and shoved them back in place. Muso opened the door, sniffing the air. He looked down at the children, then accusingly at Sesshomaru.

"I'll explain," He said walking in.

Kagome was scrubbing a tiny fist over her eyes when Koga emerged from the backroom. He was walking fast, fists clenching open and closed. His stride swallowed the distance between him and Sesshomaru in seconds. His eyes were devilish red and fangs pierced his bottom lip like thorns. Looking from kid to kid then Sesshomaru, Koga's face scrunched hard and he let loose a harsh growl.

Sesshomaru answered back by putting Miroku on the floor and offering Kagome to him. His growl vibrated deeper than car muffler. Koga nearly bucked back until Naraku appeared with eyes even redder and his lip curling over his own fangs. Midoriko came rushing out of the kitchen and snatched up Hakudoshi, snarling under her breath. All the tension eventually brought out Kagura and she too stood by Naraku while their mates took the children to the living room to settle down.

In the presence of equal dominance, Sesshomaru took a deep breath and felt some of the tension receding. Both his hands cupped around his face and dropped by his side, "That's what you didn't wanna tell me?" He directed to Naraku. "You knew about Zaya?"

"Zaya?" Kagura tilted her head. "Who's that?"

"Inuyasha's child."

"That's her name?"

Sesshomaru looked at Kagura next, "You knew he had a child too?"

She shrugged, "Everybody does, 'cept you. Before you get pissed," She held up her hand to stop him his accusations. "Just think about why we didn't. Look at how you're acting now, all pissy and shit. We'd never seen the child either."

"Did you know she might be mine?"

Kagura blinked with widened eyes, "Do what? Did that mutt-hoe say that?"

"Let's take this to the living room. I'll get the folks." Naraku nodded for them to go without him.

Kagura followed behind her cousin confused as ever. She took the seat next to him, brow pinched in a delicate frown, "Did Inuyasha say the child was yours?"

"Something like that," Sesshomaru glanced up at Koga as he rocked Kagome in one arm and stroked Miroku's hair where he sat nestled on his daddy's shoulder. "How long have you known?"

Koga didn't answer for a while. Kagome relaxed enough to be placed on the floor with some toys but Miroku took the longest to calm down. "Since the beginning," Koga mumbled softly. "It's a long story."

"You mind sharin'?"

"Yeah I do. It ain't my story to tell."

The rest of the family filed into the living room all wearing curious glances with everyone else but specifically Sesshomaru. His parents came in and sat on either side of him when Kagura moved to sit next to her son and wife.

"What's this all about?" Michiko asked, looking from her son to then to the rest of her nieces and nephews. InuTaisho patted her hand and Sesshomaru took the other, rubbing his thumb over her palm gently. "Son, what's wrong?"

Sesshomaru looked in her eyes; eyes just like his and twice as brilliant. They were like his vassal of protecting against the tidal wave of anguish bleaching his shore. He told the family everything, not excluding a single detail out from when he first saw Inuyasha all the way to the argument at the ice cream shop. He spoke of Zaya, possibly the only highlight of the story from how smart she was, what a beautiful smile she had, and the saddest details being her eyes and hair.

It took the Espada Family the longest time to recover from the mountain of details and the conclusion of Sesshomaru's story. What hit the family the hardest, was knowing there was probably an Espada child that was excluded from her family's love. It had the males inwardly growing protective and the females worried.

"How could he," Michiko angrily whispered. "I've been nothing but good to that boy and he pulls a stunt like this." She shook her head, tossing strains of white in every direction. "I got a grandchild out there that don't even know her grandma."

"Baby we don't know if she's Sesshomaru's," InuTaisho reasoned.

"She's mine Daddy," Sesshomaru said firmly. "I know she's mine. You outta see how she acts, walks, talks, her face, all of that is Espada blood."

"We can't be sure of that," Kagura argued. "With the way Inuyasha left, and you said he told you that he slept with somebody else."

"Exactly so we don't know if that brat's yours," Muso said pissed. "Inuyasha will probably say any damn thing to piss you off. And on top of that you got Kyora. Have you told him any of this? How's he going to feel knowin' you probably got a bastard child?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, "That's twice you insulted what's mine Muso. Watch yourself. Like I said, she's mine, end of discussion on that part."

"And what about Kyora?"

"I'll tell Kyora after the results. I don't see any other reason to 'em until then. When the test comes back saying she's mine, he'll just have to deal with it or move on."

"I'm tellin' you this kid ain't yours man. Inuyasha's nothin' but a nasty, lying, wannabe celebrity groupie with nothing to do except get in your wallet."

"If all Inuyasha wanted was his money he would've tied Sesshomaru to a post years ago," Koga snapped from beside Naraku. "He didn't tell Sesshomaru about the baby at first because he was thinking about his career—"

"Just like any other groupie hoe who wants a star athlete," Muso glared at both Koga and Midoriko when saying that and the two bristled. "Can't handle the truth?" He shot at them. "I'd expect groupie hoes to stick up for one another 'cause it's in ya'lls nature. Bunch of unstable creatures."

"Watch your fucking mouth!" Naraku, Kagura and . . . Sesshomaru shouted at once, each with eyes red as chili peppers.

"Enough," Izayoi ordered sternly. "Muso keep your mouth shut about what you don't know. You sitting here judging people like you're so innocent. I'm sure Inuyasha had his reasons. He's always been a good boy, he wouldn't purposely keep Zaya from Sesshomaru."

"Mama you only taking up for him because you liked him when we were kids. You don't know what kind of man he grew into now. He's a nothing but a gold digging, sleazy money grubber and this child is his meal ticket." Muso jumped up to his feet staring down at everyone. "If I felt this kid was our blood, you know I wouldn't be pushin' the issue, but I know she ain't Sesshomaru's. Inuyasha doesn't deserve that privilege after what he did!" And with that said, Muso stomped out. He went for his bedroom down the hall and the door slam rocked the house worst then any earthquake.

When Naraku made to stand, to everyone's surprise, it was Sesshomaru to motion him back. "Leave him. He needs to cool down. You know he don't always talk stupid."

"Somebody needs to knock his teeth out before I do."

"And me," Kagura added in sourly. "The fuck's his—" One look from Izayoi said she'd put up with enough of the loose cursing and Kagura quickly corrected herself. "I mean, what the heck's his problem anyway? He got beef with Inuyasha or something?"

"Nah, but they were close. They hung out together all the time. Inuyasha was the only one who'd read that sappy manga shit. Leaving hurt him like it did me and Naraku."

"Oh."

Silence fell over them for a while, mostly just to think about the issue at hand. It was InuTaisho to break with a question most were curious to know. "When do you plan on taking the test?"

"On Thursday," Said Sesshomaru. "I scheduled an appointment at the corner clinic."

"Alright," Koga rose up, picking up the kids on the way. "I'm going to put the kids to bed. With all this drama, we sure as hell ain't sleeping tonight."

The others remained behind talking about Zaya, wondering what she was like and when Sesshomaru would bring her by. He, on the other hand, was busy thinking of other issues. Like all of the preparations he'd have done for Zaya and what he was going to tell Kyora when the results returned.

* * *

_Meet me at the Sparling Health Clinic_

_923 Dill Avenue Southwest. The app. Is 8:30 a.m. Make sure to bring Zaya. _

That's what the text said when he got it Tuesday morning. Bring Zaya. Right, as if he didn't know that part already.

"Daddy I s'eepy," Zaya whined from the backseat, rubbing a gloved fist over her eyes.

Inuyasha smiled in the rearview mirror. Interrupting his daughter's beauty rest was like masking a search light with a napkin; extremely difficult. It took Inuyasha an hour to get her ready. He had her put on a tigger one-piece with tiger ears and paws on all limbs. Inuyasha turned around and held out his hand for her smaller one, "I know baby, I know. Just stay awake for Daddy a little longer then we can go home."

"I s'eepy _now_ Daddy."

He was feeling kind of tired himself. Inuyasha hadn't slept a wink since his and Sesshomaru's confrontation the other day. It's been a constant replay in his head. Over and over again those scenes rewind themselves and haunted him until he thought they'd replace his old nightmares.

Inuyasha spotted Sesshomaru's flashy vehicle creeping down the street. Nearly every other demon had a car with rims, a shiny exterior or some whack ass kind of design, but of course he'd know Sesshomaru's property anywhere. He had this strange ability to be seen without even trying.

The Tahoe pulled up by Inuyasha's 2000 Nissan Maxima, downgrading the little car by ten grand. He hated when folks parked their nice shit by his.

Sesshomaru hopped out and yet again, he had a way of being flashy without trying. He was wearing a black leather jacket, some acid washed blue jeans, a bright cream cashmere sweater and some large sunglasses. Who knew or cared about the brand because all of it combined was three months of Inuyasha's rent.

Sesshomaru made his way around to Inuyasha's door to open it. Inuyasha ignored the gesture and the offered hand, going around to get his daughter out of the car seat. He felt Sesshomaru's glare burning in his back.

"Hmmm," Moaned Zaya. Her eyes blinked at the opposing sunshine and when she lowered her head, all thoughts of sleep vanished. "Prince!" She squealed, squirming out her arms for him. "Get me!"

Inuyasha stepped back when Sesshomaru reached for her.

"Dadddddddddy, I want Prince."

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha cupped her head into his neck, rocking her from side to side, "One step at a time Sesshomaru."

"I know that," Sesshomaru held out his arms. "Just let me hold her."

Inuyasha's grip tightened. He couldn't describe the fear strangling him inside. Of all his most cherish memories, Zaya was the most beautiful memory. He worshiped her smile like the very air he breathed. He couldn't let her go. Inuyasha swirled on his heel and stalked toward the clinic.

Sesshomaru sighed hard behind him and followed close. Zaya reached out her hand waving, "Hurry Prince!"

Sesshomaru took her hand between his and squeezed.

They all reached the front counter as one. Inuyasha felt his stomach sink down in his toes. "We have an appointment."

* * *

No matter where they went in the clinic, Sesshomaru followed Zaya. He answered all the questions asked by the doctors, gave his samples and watched when Inuyasha gave his. Zaya he wished he could comfort during the moments the nurses had to extract her blood and saliva. All those demonic instincts to protect his child kept rearing up like goosebumps, but he controlled those urges.

The process was tiresome but worth it in the end. The doctor stationed them inside a small room to wait for the results. Zaya was given a small play set to enjoy. Inuyasha sat near a window next to her while Sesshomaru kneeled on the floor to watch her play.

"See Prince, you p'ay with this one kay? I p'ay with this one." Zaya held out a red circle block for Sesshomaru and kept a purple cube for herself. "You like it?"

"Yes, I love it." Sesshomaru switched knees, smiling like a little kid. "What color is your block Zaya?"

"Ummm," Zaya twiddled the block between her fingers. "Boo?"

"No," He chuckled. "It's purple. Mine is red. What's your favorite color?"

"Pink and boo and red and g'een and yellow."

"Really? I bet you can't guess what my favorite color is."

"Ummmm, Boo?"

Sesshomaru smiled. "Yep, that's dadd—my favorite color." He caught himself before it got out. "Do you like apple juice?"

Zaya bobbed her head up and down, "Daddy says apple juice make me p'etty."

"Yep and it makes you big and strong. Zaya?"

"Hm?"

"Did you like playing with Kagome, Miroku and Hakudoshi?"

Zaya animated into a whole new child. "YES! I like p'aying with them." And she went on and on and on about Kagome giggling a lot, Hakudoshi's strange frown and Miroku always flicking his hair.

Sesshomaru heard a tiny laugh in the back Inuyasha failed to hide and glanced over his shoulder just in time to catch a strange shine in his eyes before it dimmed away. Sesshomaru knew he saw it. That instant cozy moment where Inuyasha was relieved and relaxed enough to enjoy seeing his daughter with her father. Yeah, that's the look Sesshomaru saw.

Sesshomaru gave Zaya back her playing blocks and took the empty seat next to Inuyasha. They shared a look, quickly looked away and when it happened again, they snickered.

"I never knew you could be good with kids," Inuyasha bravely spoke first. "You handle yourself pretty well."

"I do a'ight. Comes with babysittin' all the time."

Inuyasha nodded, "Haku's gotten big."

"He has."

Silence. Inuyasha balled his lips up.

Sesshomaru tore his eyes away from the way Inuyasha kept gnawing at his bottom lip. That was a gesture he remember the hanyou doing when they were together. He only did it when he was nervous or—Sesshomaru smiled inside—when he hit that spot just right.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. Its nothin'." Sesshomaru couldn't stop the smile or the chuckle from coming.

"Share the wealth. I wanna laugh too." Inuyasha nudged him.

Well, why not? It was nice to have manners between them. Sesshomaru gave in after a few moments, "Remember when me, you, Naraku and Koga snuck out after curfew to go to Hoshiyomi's house?"

Inuyasha suddenly laughed, shaking his head, "Oh man, don't remind me of that. I was scared outta my mind thinkin' mama was gonna catch me. You and Naraku some idiots for throwin' rocks at my window."

"Well we tried callin' Koga's cell but he wasn't answering Naraku's texts. Ah man that was fun." Sesshomaru snuck him a look. "You had a crush on Hoshiyomi."

"I did," Inuyasha blushed lightly. "And you had a crush on his brother. Menomaru right?"

"Yeah. He was the only one I wanted to kiss when we played 7 minutes in heaven." Sesshomaru settled uncomfortably in his chair. "But we uh, ended up kissing that night. Twice."

"Yeah. It was a lil' awkward."

"Not for real," Sesshomaru grinned cockily. "I had you riding up the wall beggin' for me."

"Oh whatever, you wish," Inuyasha shoved at him playfully. "You were the one feelin' up on my ass and sayin' '_How you like it baby' _and_ 'does it feel good'. _You wanted me, child molester."

"I didn't hear any complaints. You liked it, admit it."

"Whatever."

"Nah, I'm serious," Sesshomaru turned around, facing Inuyasha full body and face. All the playfulness drained from his face. All that existed was very old, still hot, lusty look. "Even a lil' bit Inuyasha. When we shared our first kiss . . . did you like it?"

What could Inuyasha say? Back then he'd only been fourteen barely getting into his hormones and Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru was the most beautiful boy in the whole neighborhood. Anyone who got a shot with the Espada sons or daughters was considered blessed. The kiss with Sesshomaru had been his first one, and to this day, the best he'd ever had. No one kissed as soft, as soothing, as demanding as he did. He kissed the way he made love, with all his being.

When Inuyasha opened his mouth to answer, the door to their waiting room opened. The two Inus stood and Zaya stopped playing with the blocks.

"Mr. Inuyasha, Mr. Sesshomaru, I have your results here," The doctor waited until his patients stood in front of him with Zaya standing between them. He unfolded the manila folder. "With the DNA results combined, extracted and concluded, we have it stating here that Zaya Selene Shikon is the child of Sesshomaru Espada and Inuyasha Shikon."

The world became as brilliant as a pair of rose colored sunglasses. Sesshomaru pumped his fist in the air, starling the doctor, Inuyasha and Zaya. He was all over the room, cheering, shouting, whooping like a kid on Christmas day. "Thank you man, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He pumped the doctor's hand up and down and even hugged the old human in a death grip.

His next conquest was Zaya. He sweep his little girl—his baby girl in his arms and swirled her around in the air, rained kisses all over her beautiful cheeks and hugged her. "My baby girl, my sweet baby girl." He moaned over and over.

Then suddenly, Sesshomaru felt the tears spilling from his eyes.

What was this sadness? He should be happy, should be glad she was his. Zaya was his. But it took three missed years of her life. He'd missed three years, three he could never get back.

Inuyasha, he saw was crouching on the floor with his face in his hands.

Well, it seemed they had what they needed now. It was time to move on from there. Sesshomaru held his daughter in his arms and leaned down beside Inuyasha, reaching out an arm. It hovered over him, then retracted it back. "I'll make the arrangements," He whispered.

Inuyasha nodded grimly before showing his watery eyes, "Just let me know what the terms are. I'll have my lawyer get with yours and. . . we'll set up a meet time."

"Alright," Sesshomaru did reach out his arm this time and it went around Inuyasha's shoulders. They huddled on the floor, Inuyasha in tears for so many things and Sesshomaru felling that all familiar loss erupt in his chest.

Sesshomaru couldn't leave them. Not yet.

For a moment, just a little while, he wanted to stay this way. With Inuyasha's head on his shoulder and their child in his other, it gave him that fulfillment he'd always desired.

They could think about their troubles another time.

This was perfect.

* * *

**TBC: Zaya's his ^_^. But that doesn't mean the drama's over lol. Stay tuned my loves ^_^**


	9. Revelation

**Author's Rant**: Drama, drama, drama. Let's continue ^_^. Please excuse any mistakes.

* * *

**Revelation**

* * *

"So it's official then."

"Yeah."

_PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH._

"And he still intends to get full custody?"

"Yeah."

_PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH._

"Shit, man that's messed up. You called Yura, right?"

"Yeah."

_PUNCH. PUNCH._

Ryuukotsusei shifted around the red tattered punching bag, hanging on its last chain as Inuyasha stepped back to survey the damage done. It wasn't Sesshomaru's face but it'd do. The duct tape couldn't fix the leaks as well as it had an hour ago. The gym room down in the basement of HQ had become his new hangout since the paternity test two weeks ago. All Inuyasha's routines were shot to hell after learning Zaya was Sesshomaru's.

His head was fried from the inside out. Not only was he dealing with waiting for Sesshomaru to schedule an appointment with his lawyer, but Inuyasha was battered down to his core from the little cozy moment shared in the clinic.

Fuck Sesshomaru. Why did he have to go all protective, cozy mode when they weren't even a fucking family? All that did was remind Inuyasha of that old list of '_what ifs'_ that he'd successfully buried in the back of his head. Now they were roaring in like a newborn waterfall. He'd only got one call from Sesshomaru since then and that had been to hound Inuyasha on when the right time was for him to start spending time with Zaya.

But Inuyasha wasn't ready for that scene. Not yet. Sesshomaru was still trying to take her away. His only piece of goodness and he wanted to take her away? So what then did that moment mean in the clinic then? Fuck. Inuyasha smacked his tape wrapped fists together and let off a barrage of punches devour the left side of the punching bag. Pound per pound worked a certain portion of fury out of his system and just when he thought he was reaching a breaking point, all his frustrations would return tenfold.

Ryuukotsusei had to brace his feet on the floor mat several times to keep from being knocked down as he held the bag in place, "You gonna need a character witness Yash'. Just lemme know when you're served and I'll volunteer to speak on your behave." Ryuukotsusei nearly missed the bag smacking his face and went to watch Inuyasha on the other side.

They were both shirtless, Inuyasha wearing only a pair of black Jordan jersey shorts and some white low top Converse. He had all his hair piled back in a single whipping plait. Ryuukotsusei had on his red Nike shorts and some red and black High top Forces that kept squeaking when Inuyasha hit the bag's sweet spot.

"I don't need a character witness," Inuyasha grunted after the tenth strike. "I need a prayer. Sesshomaru's got a fortune over me and a well kempt fan base. When most of ATL finds out, I ain't gonna stand a chance in hell."

Ryuukotsusei's forehead bunched into a frown, "So what and you're a part of ATL's finest. You got a rep, some good back up, a loyal ass family in us and what's he got? A mansion. Pfft please."

Inuyasha got in another twenty more reps before the ceiling chain threatened to dump a mini beach on the rubber mats. "That's the best you could come up with?" The hanyou huffed, chest heaving and sweat glistening all over his body. "The judge is going to be looking for who can give Zaya the best nurturing environment. I got a half decent apartment, she goes to daycare or the sitter damn near every day, I work twelve hour shifts and risk becomin' a casualty." Inuyasha walked off to the back of the gym where he had his duffle bag and uniform folded on the floor.

Ryuukotsesui pushed the bag out of the way to follow, "The judge wants what's best for Zaya and her being out with some man she barely knows ain't gonna be in her best interests. Not to mention he's gone half the year, has to dodge the media, keep off a shit load of potential honeys and doesn't have an ounce of paternal experience."

"And some of those are my fault Ryuu. When the judge finds out I intentionally kept her away—"

"And you had your reasons for that Inuyasha!" Ryuukotsesui snapped impatiently. "I suggest you tell Sesshomaru what it was before the court date. His lawyer's gonna figure it out and let that shit funk up the whole courtroom."

Inuyasha snatched up his duffle, his uniform and when he reached for his boots, some of the tension evaporated out of his shoulders, "I know."

"No you don't know. Who you think is gonna be more hurt?" after he got most of his stuff situated, the red haired dragon turned around to level some more tough love on his friend but lost a ton of the bite when he saw Inuyasha's ears flat as coins. "Shit," He sighed and reached out to loop his arm around Inuyasha's neck. He tugged back until Inuyasha caved in and pressed his back into his chest. "Sorry man. Sorry. I'm just worried about ya is all. You know I'd do anything for you and for damn sho' would do anything for Zaya."

Inuyasha nodded, gnawing at his bottom lip, "I'm so tired of this Ryuu. Shit just keeps piling up left and right." He relaxed all his body weight into falling against Ryuu's body and let himself get supported for once. "I thought I could hide her away forever. I wanted to keep Zaya to myself. I was gonna say something to Sesshomaru . . . I would've."

The dragon demon dropped his stuff on the ground and wound his other arm around Inuyasha's chest, "Its better it came out now. By then you would've been facing more complicated factors. Now you two both know what the deal is, man up and act like the fathers you are. Think about Zaya." Ryuukotsesui paused in thought, arms loose as old chains around Inuyasha's neck and chest. "Tell me somethin' though."

"Yeah?"

"You still got feelings for Sesshomaru?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth and quickly shut it tight. What he would've said would've been a flat out lie. He shook his head, squirming out of Ryuukotsusei's embrace, "Not like I used too. Time don't always make the heart grow fonder," he teased.

"But something's still there right?" Ryuukotsesui asked, not catching the humor.

"It's gonna be Ryuu, but that's natural. I shared a lot of firsts with the man. My first kiss, my first relationship, my virginity, my first child," After listing it all, Inuyasha somewhat wished Sesshomaru hadn't had such a head start. With that much baggage it wasn't a wonder Inuyasha hadn't slept with anyone else in years.

"Well, all I'm gonna say is, don't let that play a part in how things happen out between you two. Think about Zaya first and your hormones second." Ryuukotsesui gathered his stuff and left before Inuyasha could say anything else on his defense.

Inuyasha thinned his lips before he took got his things and went out the back door through the hall and out in the back parking lot. It was an eerily quiet evening with most of the office workers gone home. Inuyasha hadn't bothered putting a shirt, wanting the night chill to sting off the rest of his agitation. Gold glowing post lights filtered in from around the lot, except the spot where Inuyasha's marked car was parked. He preferred to park as far away from the building as possible. Anything to get a good walk in and clear his head.

He was fishing around his pocket for his car keys when a brief rustle came from the bushes around his car. Immediately on full alert Inuyasha's ears flared out to catch the tiniest sound and started sniffing the air. Grass, his sweat, the gravel, the small creek by the building and the trees was all he could smell. And yet he could detect the faintest sound of breathing coming from somewhere.

All the hairs prickled on his skin. The wind blew and he caught the scent of old spice and peppermint. Sweat bubbled on his skin, his pupils dilated until the hazel vanished and he quickly started wrestling with his key chain to find the right one. Old spice and peppermint, old spice and peppermint. He knew that smell, he hated that smell.

There were footsteps hurrying toward him. Inuyasha's stomach dropped out of his toes, his breathing shortened and stopped. Panic bled out of him. No, no, no. He abandoned finding his key and unzipped his duffle to fish out his 9MM, took off the safety and aimed behind—

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ryuukotsesui danced backwards, hands in the air, stunned. "The fuck man, put that shit down!"

Inuyasha's body dissolved as relief and anger bubbled at once, "The hell Ryuu, why didn't you say something?"

"I did crackshit, damn," Ryuukotsesui put a hand over his chest to keep his heart from clawing out. "I called your dumbass twice but you didn't say anything."

Inuyasha nodded, putting the gun away. Or he tried too. His hands were trembling like they'd just surfaced from a bucket of ice water.

"You alright?"

Inuyasha jumped and curled his lip back, disgusted with himself. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just jumpy. Where are you goin'?" He just noticed Ryuukotsesui's state of dress. A black and white American Eagle polo with a red A over his right chest and some khaki cargo shorts hanging off his hips.

"I'm goin' bowling with Shiori and her crew from fourth precinct. I forgot to ask if you wanted to come so I'm askin' now."

So that explained the smell then. Ryuukotsesui was reeked up to his neck with that scent. "No, that's cool. Maybe next time." He would've joined, but Inuyasha couldn't stomach being around Ryuukotsesui's cologne for long. He'd likely hunk a chunk in front of everybody.

"Next time is gonna be next week. I'm holdin' you to that."

"A'ight make it a date."

"I will," Ryuukotsesui winked and waved before he left for his car.

Inuyasha sunk down in his and locked the doors. His grasp on his stirring wheel was salt white. Shit, he nearly let himself get caught up. "Fuck," Inuyasha dropped his forehead against the stirring wheeling, evening out his breathing and cursing his overactive imagination. He couldn't believe he let himself get so worked up. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he lightly smacked his forehead time and time again. He was better than this, above this.

He couldn't go to Zaya like this. Sango had her waiting at home for a stable daddy like some crazy, scary one. Inuyasha took a deep breathe, collected his composure and cranked up his car. He backed out the parking lot, and chuckled when he saw Ryuukotsesui waiting for his car to leave and followed him out on the street where they separated with two honks.

It was a little after eight when Inuyasha pulled into his apartment complex. The bulb above from the parking lot post was busted again. Damn, he didn't tell his landlord to get that shit fixed? It was pitch dark out here. The street post a couple of buildings down only gave him a faint guide as he bent down to get some of the groceries he bought on the way.

He leaned back with two bags on each arm when the blood in his veins chilled several degrees. Inuyasha swirled around, half way stopping when a thick hand snapped around his mouth and an arm bound his arms to his sides. The bags fill on the ground. The assailant started to drag him between the junctions of the buildings. The world was shrinking and that sight alone set Inuyasha into a heated rampage as he tried to dig his heels into the ground to gain leverage.

But his attacker kept kicking at his feet and pulling back with overwhelming strength. The person had to be a demon, there was no way anyone else would be able to manhandle Inuyasha with sheer strength alone.

"You thought I was jokin' when I said I'd get what I want?"

Every shred of fight melted out of Inuyasha's muscles. The only living organ was threatening to burst from his chest and yet he couldn't move passed that voice echoing like a bad song. His vision blurred, his chest ached, how could he not notice before? Inuyasha couldn't believe when the smell became so pronounced so suddenly. Old spice and peppermint. "Hmm Mmm Mmm," He groaned and choked, hands wringing left and right.

The assailant pressed into a wall, stapling Inuyasha's body from ankle to chest. The roles were switched as Inuyasha was shoved hard into the side wall and his body disappearing beneath the attacker's taller frame. Up and down, forward and back, Inuyasha felt every sickening grind on his ass and the lustful breathes dampening his neck. "You smell so good, feel so good," were all he heard whispering in his ears. Inuyasha held back the bile at bay.

For the life of him, he couldn't will the power to move. So many memories kept bursting through like firecrackers.

His crotch was palmed and roughly rolled. Inuyasha whimpered and felt a twinge of fight return to his limbs but a good hard slam into the wall knocked that away. Fingers toyed around his shorts and eased through the rim to grab his naked dick. "You want this. You always wanted it."

Inuyasha's eyes squinted. Blood rushed to his ears and his face. He didn't want to be turned on by this. He didn't but his dick was pinched on the head, his balls massaged in rough calloused hands and the harsh hissing pants in his ear brought on those memories. Solid warmth snapping into his hips, claws skating over his chest and a fire lit inside him that only lasted a moment.

It was only a moment. That was the difference.

Inuyasha saw red. His arms had some noticeable slack and he used that to push off the wall and shove his attack against the other. Inuyasha wiggled free and gained his footing. He turned with a round house punch and hit something that crackled out like a broken brick. A loud yelp shouted out followed by a vicious growl. Then came the rushing tackle Inuyasha couldn't counter and a hand around his throat.

And another back around his dick. The attacker squeezed them both at once and pressed his lip on Inuyasha's pulse.

"No, no!" Inuyasha's feet shuffled, trying to knock the man off balance, but he spread his legs and arched his crotch forward, grinding hard. "Get off, please, get off!"

"Hmm mmm, nah, you don't toy with my affections and get off that easily. This is what happens to the bad ones," Some nasty chuckle mixed with the slurping licks. "Don't fight this Inuyasha. You know you want it."

"No, I don't!" Inuyasha squirmed and pushed, punched and shoved. Nothing could move this wall of lust. His neck stung as the skin bruised and peppered with unwanted love bites. The grip on his dick was vicious. "Get the fuck off!" One last resort came when Inuyasha sprayed his hand out and gave the strongest push that had the attacker sailing backwards.

Inuyasha made a run for his car, ears tingling with sneakers following behind. This person had speed on him, always had. Inuyasha only had a head start and one shot to reach his car. When he had he reached for his bag and threw out the blocking clothes. Two large hands wrapped around his waist and tugged back. Inuyasha grasped ahold of his handle, was dragged back and elbowed his attacker hard in the ribs before whipping around with his 9MM aimed straight ahead. "I said back the fuck up!" He shouted half crazed, half serious. "I'll blow your fuckin' shit on the ground! Get away from me!"

It angered him how there wasn't a trace of fear in those devilish eyes. There was only more lust, cockiness and the swagger of an unfazed man. "Go ahead, fire away." The attacker opened his arms more for a hug then surrender.

Inuyashat shot at the ground, surprising the hell out of the fool, "Next one's goin' for the nuts. I said back, the, fuck, up!"

"Cool, tsk ain't like it's gonna matter." The man shoved his hands in his pockets, flipping a locket of black hair off his bruised face. Even with a busted nose he acted like they were carrying a casual conversation. "I'll be back to get what's mine. You can count on that baby." He didn't say anything more and walked off. Inuyasha's barrel followed after him until he disappeared across the street and down the sidewalk. He probably had his car parked off down the way.

Inuyasha heard the radio go off in his car and went to intervene when it spoke of a 911 call reporting gun shots. His heart ached with a world of pain, fear, terror and a horrible glee. He fought off his attacker but it'd only be so long before he came back and did it again. The man was getting bolder, he wasn't scared as he used to be. Something was going to have to give. Inuyasha could've live like this. Watching over his back every day, making sure his daughter stayed safe.

Inuyasha dragged his hands over his face, shivering all over. This was stupid. He couldn't live a life shrouded in mistakes and fear. He just couldn't. God, help him. Please.

* * *

The score ended up being 34-12, another win the Falcon's way on Sunday. The Dolphins didn't stand a chance in hell when it came to Sesshomaru has his aggression. Add it with a dose his frustrations and the win was a shoe in. The boys were out for celebrating but Sesshomaru had a one track mind and that was going to Kyora's house. His boyfriend had been out of town for a few days and every time Sesshomaru tried to corner him to talk, Kyora would come up with some excuse as to why they couldn't.

Now they both had the free time and nothing else to stop the discussion. Kyora claimed he had something he wanted to talk to Sesshomaru about too. He wouldn't say over the phone, mentioning something about it spoiling the moment of impact. Kyora lived on the outskirts of Atlanta in a modest home in a suburban neighborhood. It was casual, cozy and easy going, just like Kyora.

That's why when Sesshomaru pulled into the drive way of the brown brick home, he wasn't too keen in going on as he normally was. Kyora, well, Kyora was a step into a new life. Sesshomaru needed that kind of stability in his life without all the hassle it'd take to keep a man. Only thing was, he now had Zaya to add into his life.

Inuyasha was still refusing to let him see her. Sesshomaru had no clue whether that was because Inuyasha was in denial—which would be fucking insulting—that Sesshomaru's the father and he wanted it to be someone else. Or he was just afraid. Sesshomaru would consider it the latter since Inuyasha's at the clinic spoke volumes of relief. Inuyasha . . . shit, why should Sesshomaru deny that there were some emotions there for the hanyou? They weren't as gooey as their puppy love romance but they were there.

With Kyora, it wasn't love just yet, but hopefully someday soon it would be.

Sesshomaru's thumb traced over the small ring box in his pocket, having second thoughts, third ones, fourths and a couple of fifths. Thanksgiving was coming up in a couple of weeks. By then he didn't want to be the only one without a mate by his side and he wanted to change that.

Well, if Kyora was willing to accept Zaya then he could form a semi family here and just cooperate with Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru built up the courage to step out and went up to knock on the red painted, and clean glass door. Some shifting was heard and Kyora's monotone voice saying to give him a minute. Sesshomaru's stomach somersaulted during the wait and completed a full cartwheel when Kyora opened the front down, red ruby lips pulled into a charming smile. "Sesshomaru love, you've come," Kyora tip toed to kiss his lips.

"Told ya I was on the way didn't I?" Sesshomaru walked inside, smelling tea boiling in the kitchen.

Kyora closed the door behind him, "Yes, but that's normally an hour or so after a game. I wasn't expecting you until SUV went off," Kyora pressed pause on the television on his and Sesshomaru's favorite show. Sesshomaru had a weakness for Olivia and her partner on SUV like a jail bird tossed in a stripper joint. "Have a seat, I'll fix tea." Kyora kissed him again before sashaying with an extra swish to the kitchen.

Sesshomaru followed every lift and fall of his ass in some dove grey sweat pants and how a low V yellow tee clung to his body like a wet glove. He looked around the living space and as usual Kyora had the place spit shine clean. The living room was a sink in from the entrance with cream furnishing and an plum purple plush carpet. The flat screen TV was hooked up on the wall where he and Naraku stored it last year. The rest of the house was covered in in the same carpet and except the kitchen where most of it was marble onyx and platinum.

Sesshomaru shrugged off his wool pea coat and untied his scarf. He wore a black cashmere sweater and some dark blue jeans with dark tan Timberland boots, which he toed off and went in the kitchen to see what was taking Kyora so long.

The red haired demon was stirring cinnamon and lemon juice in the mix. He placed a spoon inside and took a sip, humming at the rich taste. "Taste this. The flavor's spot on as always."

"I'll be the judge of that," Chuckled Sesshomaru. He leaned down and let the spoon be carried to his lips. All at once a tangy sweetness blushed his cheeks and settled comfortably on his tongue before slipping down. "Mmm yeah, that is good." He licked his lips.

"I know, I'm hoping _our son_ enjoys it as much as you."

Sesshomaru stopped where he was about to wrap his arms around Kyora's waist. He stood dumbfound even when Kyora giggled and walked out with two full cups. "Say what?" Sesshomaru finally said after a ten second stupid moment.

Kyora gestured for the seat next to him at the dinner table and nodded a confirmation when Sesshomaru sat bewildered as a mouse in a maze, "That's my news sweetheart," Kyora sipped and reached out to squeeze Sesshomaru's hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. "I found out the other day. I wasn't sure after the test but he assured me of it this time." Kyora was beside himself with thrill and nervousness as he took both of Sesshomaru's hands in his and kissed the knuckles on top and stroked them on his cheek. "We're going to have a baby dearest. A baby of our own and," A rosy blush touched his cheeks. "I want, I want us to get married."

A nuke explosion wouldn't have sounded as loud as the ringing in Sesshomaru's ears. His eyes were wide as mangos, mouth forming a perfect 'O' and just wow. "You're pregnant?" He whispered.

"Yes love, what other kind of pregnant is there? I'm eight weeks along now. The doctor can't tell the gender but I feel it's a boy. Wouldn't that be wonderful? A little you running about with my hair or eyes. Maybe he'll be your exact twin. Or even look like me. Either way the child's sure to be beautiful. Oh we should—Sesshomaru?" Kyora frowned delicately when Sesshomaru was leaping in the air or pumping a fist or shit doing something to show he was pleased with the news. "Love?" Kyora snapped in his face three times and got nothing. That worried him, "You, _you are_ happy about this . . . aren't you?"

Sesshomaru blinked rapidly, tugging himself down to earth. "Yes, yes, oh baby, yeah I'm happy!" Holy dog shit on a train, he was going to be a father. Again. He'd gained two children in less than a month! "I'm happy, I'm just, oh man, oh shit, I mean shoot, wait, we can't cuss around the baby right? Fuck, you gotta go sit down. Pregnant folks can't sit right? Nah, that's stand. Did you drink water today? Wait you're eight weeks? That's just around the corner!"

Kyora out right laughed, shaking his head, "Relax Sesshomaru, I'm eight weeks not eight months. We've got another six to go," Kyora stood up, a protective hand over his flat stomach and red eyes soft as cherries and his cheeks dusted the same color. "We can be a family now, you know. We can get married." He looked up from under his eyelashes, expectantly.

Sesshomaru smiled like an idiot nodding, "Yeah, yeah baby we can. You know that's all I've ever wanted is a child and—" Oh. Wait. No. His baby girl. Zaya. He did have another child.

The loss of warmth in his eyes made Kyora worry again but Sesshomaru kissed his forehead and lead him to the living room. "I haven't told you my news yet."

"I know," Kyora winked. "I'm hoping it's the kind that'll balance out with mine."

"Well, I hope it will," Sesshomaru ran a hand over his forehead, think trapped between two walls. Ok only one way to do this, "I uh, I found out a few weeks ago, an old flame of mine has. . . has a child by me. A little girl."

It was Kyora's turn to dilate his eyes to all black and his lips to thin, "You have, another child." He flatly concluded. "Well, that is news." He cleared his throat, gently easing his hands away from Sesshomaru. As a matter of fact, he scooted to the other side of the couch. "How old is she?"

"Around four. Look, this happened way before you."

"Right and this flame of yours just magically happened to come into town with a kid saying it's supposed to be yours?"

"Zaya is mine. We had a test a couple of weeks ago to confirm it," Sesshomaru rubbed his hands up and down his jeans, fighting back his frustration. "I found out on accident when I saw her in the ice cream shop with her father. She looked too much like my family for it not to be a coincidence so I asked."

"And what did the hoe say?"

Sesshomaru swallowed back the retort that automatically came when someone insulted Inuyasha and kept going, "He wasn't sure at first if she was. I was certain of it. Zaya's mine. I'm going for full custody of her when my lawyer gets back with me," This was the part he needed to see with Kyora. If he loved him he'd be willing to stick by him regardless.

"This is so sudden Sesshomaru. I've been here all day thinking we'd start off fresh and you got another child."

"What do you want me to do about that Ky? I was thrown for a loop when I found out too, but if you think I'm gonna walk off and leave her without an Alpha Father, you can get that shit out of your head. If you can't handle it, then, then," Sesshomaru swallowed. "Then we don't have anything else to discuss." Sesshomaru stood.

Kyora caught his wrist as he waltzed by, squeezing like a vise. He had one of those faces that refused to wrinkle a mouth born to pout like two raspberries, "I said it was sudden Sesshomaru. No of course I don't expect you to abandon your child," He let go, staring down at his clasped hands. "I'm afraid of being the one that's abandoned."

So that was it then. Sesshomaru blew through his nose and kneeled down, gathering Kyora's hands in his, "I'm not gonna abandon you. We got a good thing going Ky and now we got a baby to finalized that." Sesshomaru smiled softly, reaching out to cup Kyora's cheeks. "So let's do it then huh? Let's get married."

Kyora's smile lite the entire room, "You're sure?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't, but, you have to accept my daughter too. Taking me is acceptin' her. She'll want to know her little brother or sister, yeah?"

Kyora hesitated a little before giving a small nod, "It'll take a while to get used too but I'll adjust. I'd like to meet her if that's all right."

"That's my baby," Sesshomaru leaned in to plant a slow, deep kiss, sensual and relaxing. Kyora moaned gently reaching out to pull Sesshomaru up and then down on top of him. Sesshomaru went willingly, a small part of his mind thinking of the way he would celebrate with Kyora this evening and how he'd convince the courts that Zaya belonged to him and only him.

But then . . . if he took Zaya . . .

Who would Inuyasha have?

"Oh Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru brushed that thought down and went to smoothing his hands over Kyora's warm flesh and pressing over mouth kisses on his neck. He made love to Kyora like he never had before, with passion, a soft slowness and a tingly of joy at having the family he'd always wanted.

And still Inuyasha remained a constant thought in the back of his mind.

* * *

The custody battle was like a back and forth torpedo field. The private family court room exploded every so often with Inuyasha's lawyer Yura, defending her client's reputation and reasons for keeping the child with him while Sesshomaru's lawyer, Toran fired off every weapon she had to destroy Inuyasha's reputation.

Ryuukotsesui sat in the back ground, the only person on Inuyasha's side of the courtroom and the other side occupied with Sesshomaru's family, except Naraku since he had to return to New Orleans. Koga had work but offered his support to Inuyasha fully, disagreeing entirely with the family's decision.

"Your honor, Mr. Shikon has done nothing but offer his child the upmost care, provided her with the best kind of nurturing any single father can provide with a blue collar income. Not only is he a part of the city's police department but he's willfully volunteered countless times to the needy of special needs children, donated a generous amount to orphanages and not once done any harm toward Zaya," Yura paced back and forth shooting daggers at the opposing team before softening her eyes on Inuyasha. "My client's decisions may seem implausible to the outside but he was young, confused and lost in deciding what was best.

"He was only looking out for the best interests of Mr. Espada at the time they were lovers. What loyal partner wouldn't think about their lover's career and being so young himself, he didn't think either of them were ready. Admitting to his pregnancy would've possibly halted Mr. Espada's chances into entering into the NFL, which have been his dreams since childhood. See Mr. Shikon for the good hearted person he is and not some low life creep purposely keeping his child away."

Yura bowed her head and returned to the table set for herself and Inuyasha. She leaned in to whisper. "I won't be able to stop them for granting Sesshomaru some kind of custody but I can assure you he won't get the full package."

"Thanks Yura," Inuyasha squeezed her hand. "I owe you, seriously."

"Don't mention it. For that sweet baby girl I'll open the Red Sea."

Inuyasha leaned back to see Toran and Sesshomaru whispering between one another before she took the floor, blazing in a silver suit and blue hair glistening like ice. "That's a rather touching sentiment to feed the court Ms. Hair but only the entire story. Treat it as the sugarcoated fairytale you want but facts are indeed facts. Mr. Shikon purposely kept Zaya away from her Alpha Father out of shame more than care for a lover. If he were so focused on Sesshomaru's career, why not simply let him know after the draft that he was a father? The child would've been only six or seven months after all. A tiny miss in her life compared to four full years.

"Your honor, my client feels betrayed for intentionally being kept in the dark about his daughter. He has no idea what her likes or dislikes are. What are her medical issues? Her intelligence level? Her overall health? Does she like to play with tic tac toe? Does she like macaroni and cheese? All of these are basic facts any parent would want to know and Mr. Espada wants to know. He's always wanted children of his, cherished his family members like gold. We're all positive he would've cared for Zaya no matter the risks of his career because at the time he loved Mr. Shikon. It wasn't for love that Mr. Shikon kept Zaya from her father, it was out of shame and guilt. He'd slept behind Mr. Espada's back and was too cowardly too admit he couldn't resist the temptations of another man!"

"Objection, suspicion of false infidelity!"

"Sustained," The judge said. "Ms. Toran, steer clear of insulting the defense. We're trying to wrap this up in one session."

"Yes your honor," Toran's smirk could kill a puppy. Inuyasha leered right back as she whirled around to face his side. "You're right Ms. Hair it is false or at least half false. Mr. Shikon slept with someone else but he couldn't admit to the latter of it could he? Tempting fate on a night after a party. Walking into the arms of another while Sesshomaru was off at play," Mr. Toran chuckled. "I'll play out the evening. Mr. Shikon attended a party on his own with some associates in hopes of making my client jealous after discovering his infidelity."

Inuyasha's heart sunk. He didn't feel Ryuukotsesui's hand grip around his shoulder but he knew to grab it and squeeze.

"He gets too drunk to see straight and gets seduced by one of the party goers. It's all fun and games until the moment of truth comes. The night was long and draining but Inuyasha knew well enough what he was doing when he slept with that man. He assumed it'd only be a one night stand, a secret no one else would discover. Well, until the police got involved."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and she replayed the most painful of his memories.

"The fifth night after the party Inuyasha was the victim of first degree rape and from there no one is certain why he didn't name his assailant. It's only so easy to piece together the rest from there your honor. Mr. Shikon slept with the man who raped him and didn't want it to go public out of cowardly fear that Sesshomaru would discover his crime. Only when he discovered he was pregnant with Zaya, he took flight and left without another word. Now I ask you your honor, should a child really be raised by someone so cowardly, so irresponsible? My sympathies go out to Mr. Shikon but he only has himself to blame. Zaya deserves a well nurtured, loving home with a wonderful family, willing to accept her with open arms.

"Mr. Shikon is only one man . Both his parents dead and gone since last year's accident. There is no one else to assist him with raising Zaya probably outside of friends. . ."

Inuyasha couldn't hold it and didn't try too. All of his misery, all of his despair, everything he tried so hard to hide was laid out as raw as a scalpel cut. Everyone knew, they knew everything. The gasps, and whispers hissed from left and right and he knew those eyes were piercing holes in his head. He made the mistake of looking up at Sesshomaru and met those slanted eyes, the widest he'd ever seen and expression stomped.

Inuyasha would've carried this secret to his grave if he could . . . but . . . but it was over, "Easy, easy, I got ya." He heard Ryuukotsesui whispering over and over again as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders and rocked from side to side. "You're gonna be ok. They won't take her."

The rest of the session went on. Inuyasha was mute to the rest because what more could be said to damage his reputation? The judge called for a brief recession in order to make his determinations in the back. Inuyasha felt numb, felt exposed. He swallowed the sourness on his tongue and couldn't tear his eyes from the floor. He didn't want anyone's pity, he didn't want their glares.

The judge returned and sat down with his verdict. "This decision was a tough one," He began removing his halfmoon glasses. "While I'm inclined to believe Mr. Shikon had a good reason to keep Zaya from her father, it's against the law in the both in demonic and some human laws to keep intentionally child from their sire as that's an obstruction to providing an heir. Your job risks you every day of possibly being killed in the line of duty and where exactly will that leave your daughter if that happens? God forbid."

Inuyasha said nothing, couldn't even lift his head.

"However Mr. Espada your career leaves very little in hopes of providing a home any better. While I'm sure you're capable of being a good father you have to take into consideration your life style. The fame, glory and exposure isn't what's best for a toddler. You're easily susceptible to a life threatening injury as well." The judge shook his head, looking between the young men with critical old eyes. "I don't see either of you as being bad men, or terrible fathers. And Mr. Shikon, you have my heartfelt sympathy for you having to go through more than one tragedy in a life time. I didn't hold the rape into consideration nor the mistakes made while you were in college. We're all victims of temptation at one point or another. Therefore, I will not grant sole custody to Mr. Espada but I cannot keep him from knowing his daughter. He's granted joint custody starting next week."

The decision was final. It was done.

Inuyasha's bottom lip was split and bloodied. He'd been chewing at it the entire time. His eyes were watered and full of tears. Ryuukotsesui stepped over the rail and enveloped Inuyasha's sputtering frame in his arms. Why, why did everything to go to hell? Why? He always blamed himself for the rape. It was all his fault.

"It's not your fault," He heard Ryuu whisper in his hair. "You didn't deserve any of it."

Inuyasha choked.

"Inuyasha."

That was the last voice he wanted to hear. The last face he wanted to see. Inuyasha didn't, he couldn't see the dirty disgust in Sesshomaru's eyes of all people. He broke free from Ryuukotsesui's arms and walked out, ignoring Yura's call, Ryuukotsesui's and Sesshomaru's. He caught a glimpse of the Espada family following him out the door.

He didn't want anyone's pity. He didn't deserve it. It was his fault it happened. His fault. All his fault. When he got home, Inuyasha couldn't resist taking Zaya in his arms and hugging her to his chest. Sango was quiet and fearful of what the verdict might be but left the small family alone.

"Daddy crying," Zaya squirmed in his arms. "You sad?"

"No baby girl," Inuyasha whispered.

"Daddy crying," Zaya pulled her head back and smiled big. "I kiss boo boo?"

Inuyasha sniffled, smiling through the anguish, "Yeah Daddy needs a kiss."

Zaya was all too happy to plant a soppy kiss on her both her daddy's cheeks and his forehead and his mouth. "Bett'r?"

"Very much," Inuyasha kissed her plump cheeks and hugged her close. "I love you so very much baby girl. So very much."

"Luv you too Daddy."

* * *

**TBC: The drama's hardly over guys. Stay tuned. **


	10. Old Emotions

**Author's Rant**: Here's the next chapter guys. ^_^

* * *

**Old Emotions **

* * *

Sesshomaru tried over twenty different times to call Inuyasha before Monday came. He tried a thousand text messages and each one went unanswered. He was angry, pissed, confused and now worried.

Raped? Inuyasha had been raped while they were in school. Why hadn't he said something before? Sesshomaru would've done something, anything to help him pull through this. Just imagining Inuyasha going through that turmoil all alone, burned a hole in Sesshomaru's chest. Facing being a single parent with a child he wasn't sure was the rapist or Sesshomaru's? What could Inuyasha have been thinking?

Sesshomaru didn't know how to think or handle any of it. His first immediate action had been to find Koga and make him talk, but when the details were laid out for him, he too was just as stunned to find out.

It was a genuine confusion that led him to believe Koga was loss in the dark like the rest of the Espada family. When everyone arrived at Sesshomaru's parents house, there was no victorious celebration, no kind of whooping and hollering for the gain of a new child. There was just a steeled silence, small eye glances from one to the other, each thinking their own thoughts about what was learned. Sesshomaru especially couldn't find himself to stay in the same room and had to find one of the vacant ones in the back of the two-story home to think. No one even knew the news about Kyora being pregnant with his child. It just didn't seem the right time to bring that up.

Where had he been when all of this happened? Who had it been with? Was Inuyasha that afraid of Sesshomaru losing his career because he knew Sesshomaru would've killed the asshole who did it? Shit, if he knew who'd done it he'd still lay the motherfucker out. It might explain everything now from when he proposed years ago. Inuyasha was scared of him finding out. Afraid of everything.

He'd been alone for so long. Shit. Sesshomaru sighed as he made the turn down Inuyasha's street and parked outside his apartment building. In the back seat he had some flowers, a box of caramels, a teddy bear the size of a six year old and balloons. Maybe he was over doing it but this was going to be the first time he was spending time with Zaya. He just wanted everything to be perfect.

And yet, Sesshomaru had to sit in the passenger seat for a while longer to collect his composure. Now that he knew about Inuyasha's situation, how would he approach him? All of this time they'd been at each other's throats with only one or two exceptions. Then there was the fact of Zaya herself. Did Inuyasha tell her that he was her father? Would she look at him with the same adoring eyes as she did Inuyasha?

So many questions, so many wonders, Sesshomaru truly wished he knew what to expect but in the end there was only one way to find out. Taking a deep courageous breath, Sesshomaru opened his car door and went around to the back seat to gather all of his gifts. There was only one way to find out how this day would be.

* * *

Inuyasha decided to take a two week holiday from work. He had the saved time and after telling Sergeant Tsukiyomi Ramirez the entire ordeal, she for once didn't give him much lip and just waved him off saying to take as long as he needed. Two weeks was plenty, but he just needed enough time to prepare himself for seeing Sesshomaru on a regular basis, getting Zaya ready for the new parent in her life and knowing Sesshomaru knew what happened.

Inuyasha hoped with all his being that there wouldn't be any questions, any pity looks or attempts at coddling him. He'd gotten passed this to some degree with counseling sessions and trips to the doctor on several occasions. It wouldn't do to be timid around every man he was near especially when he worked with about ninety percent of them during the day. The only thing was, he just couldn't get pass that horrid stench of old spice and peppermint. As soon as he wheezed it in, an automatic seizure would try to creep into his muscles and lock him down on the ground.

He was still receiving treatments for that and so far, little's been done to erase the reaction.

"Lookie daddy Lookie!" Zaya squeaked from the other side of the living room where she'd been busily scribbling drawings on sheets of printer paper. "I make kitty!"

Inuyasha snapped himself out of his self-pity and smiled at his daughter, "Aww let daddy see what you did," Turning off the TV from Little House on the Prairie, Inuyasha lowered himself down on the carpet and crawled around to sit next to her, taking the offered picture. It was so cute. The picture was a red lumpy circle with crooked triangle ears, one giant green eye and one tiny speck of a yellow eye, about twenty thousand whiskers and six arms and legs. "My baby's a lil' artist. Daddy loves it."

"Eeeee!" She squealed, tickled pink. "I d'aw daddy puppy too kay?"

"Not yet baby girl, daddy needs to talk to you."

Zaya's ears perked up the same way she would when her daddy had something interesting to say, "P'esent?"

"No, no presents," Inuyasha scooted around some of the crayons and markers and picked her up to stand between his legs. Her little belly poked out and he couldn't resist wiggling his face against it. Zaya giggled and smashed her fingers in Inuyasha's hair. It was her favorite place to sleep when she was a little baby. Sometimes it still was. Inuyasha pulled her back and stared into her eyes. Eyes just like her grandmother's. "Zaya, do you remember Prince?"

Zaya gasped bobbling her head up and down, "Yep, Prince my f'iend."

"Yes he is," Inuyasha had debated about this for some time, deciding how best to approach this subject but no matter how he wormed through it, it was too soon to say Sesshomaru was her father. "Listen, Prince and Daddy are gonna be spending some time together ok? That means Prince is gonna come visit you a whole lot now."

"See me, daddy?"

"That's right."

"Ohhhh," Zaya popped her lips together. "Today?"

Inuyasha nodded, "He'll be here any minute."

Zaya gasped a second time, "He see me daddy? No! I no p'etty!"

"Yes you are, you lil diva," Inuyasha chuckled as she went slack in his hands like a fainting prima donna. "Ok, ok, ok, let's get you dressed up. You want a pretty dress?" Zaya revived long enough to nod and re-fainted in his hands.

Goodness, where did she get this attitude from? Now knowing she was Sesshomaru's child, it was safe to say she got from him. Inuyasha never acted so dramatic about the way he looked. As he searched through her drawers for a skirt and tee, it was the very first time Inuyasha took the time to stare and study her face. He'd never thought to see what feathers she would've gotten but now seeing her through new eyes, she did have Sesshomaru's jaw, his nose and lips. Maybe his attitude too. Inuyasha knew his ears, forehead and smile when he saw them.

Zaya ended up emerging in a leopard pink skirt with a swishing tail on the back, a long sleeved black shirt with a pink colored leopard on the front and her short hair tucked up in two pigtails, tied with bright pink ribbons. She twirled down the hall in her baby doll shoes, dancing and singing some song off the TV. "I p'etty daddy?"

"Yes baby, you're beautiful." Chuckled Inuyasha.

"Like p'incess?"

"Like a queen."

"I a queen," Zaya delightfully confirmed, laughed and leaped in the air, doing a turn that made her come down with one leg cocked out as if she was going to dance some more, but ended up falling on her bottom.

The door knocked three sharp raps. Zaya squealed at the top of her lungs, "He he'e daddy! He he're, he he'e!" Zaya wobbled back as fast as she could and started pushing behind Inuyasha's legs to hurry him along. "'urry daddy fo' he leave!"

"He's not gonna leave," Though a part of Inuyasha wished he would. Seeing Sesshomaru was going to be different now but they were going to have to look past that. Like Ryuukotsesui said, just think of Zaya. She was the main priority.

Inuyasha wanted until Sesshomaru knocked a second time before peeking through the peep hole to see it was him and opened the door. There Sesshomaru stood wearing a solid black double breasted trench coat, some dark blue jeans, thick leather Timberland boots, and a white cashmere sweater. On second thought, Inuyasha kept himself from looking over every inch of Sesshomaru like a broadcasted wedding cake and thought more on how he looked.

He was wearing only a pair of dark grey sweats and a red t-shirt, thinking this was going to be a casual visit. Well, that definitely explained where Zaya got her personality from.

"Hey," Sesshomaru greeted first.

"Hey," Inuyasha spied all the gifts, the balloons, candy and a teddy bear the size of a small child. "That's kinda overkill for a visit isn't it?"

Sesshomaru innocently blinked, "Is it?" He shifted some of the things to one arm. "I wanted to make up for time loss."

Inuyasha didn't flinch at the statement since there wasn't a bite tone to it. He only nodded and stepped back, nearly tripping over Zaya he had a death grip on his legs. "Excuse me lil girl," He said playfully. "You wanna make me fall?"

Zaya eyes strayed to the floor to study her shuffling shoes, quietly picking at the fabric on her daddy's sweatpants.

What's this? His little girl shy? Where was all that spark and spunk for looking cute? No one would guess twice that this was the same child from how her ears hide under her hair and the shy peeks she'd give Sesshomaru. What a diva indeed.

"Sorry come in," Inuyasha said after realizing Sesshomaru was still outside. He had to step wide legged to avoid tripping over Zaya. She clung to his legs like a baby monkey, refusing to let Inuyasha leave her alone in the presence of the Prince.

So far this wasn't exactly how Inuyasha predicted this go. He looked at Sesshomaru's big giant self actually terrified of a little girl and then there was Zaya who lost her nerve. Inuyasha felt himself stuck between a rock and hard place so he decided to try a small bribe, "Look Zaya, Prince got you a teddy bear."

"Hmm?" Zaya peeked out noticing or the first time, the giant red teddy bear with a heart stitched in the middle and '_I LUV U ZAYA'_ inscribed on the inside. She beamed like a county fair and giggled. "I like your bear," She said softly.

* * *

Sesshomaru needed to get a hold of himself. If he kept this up his stomach was going to free-fall to his knees. His first reaction alone to seeing Inuyasha up close stirred a new kind of emotion in him. He looked pretty good even in a pair of sweats and a chest tight shirt. Red of all colors, the best color he looked good in.

Then there was the beautiful product of their old love standing in front of him shy and timid as he was.

Prince. So Inuyasha hadn't told her yet. Sesshomaru stored that question back in his mind for later when he heard Zaya comment on the gifts in his arms. His height probably intimidated her so he kneeled down low and held it out. "He's all yours." Sesshomaru was gratified at the enormous burst of energy Zaya couldn't gained and scurried forward to tackle the bear two times her size. The collision knocked her and the bear in Sesshomaru's arms.

He wasn't sure what to do. He looked at Inuyasha who's nod gave him the secret permission to close his arms around her and smell her scent.

Baby lotion and lavender today. She smelled so wonderful, felt so small and fragile in his arms. He could hold her for as long as she lived and protect her from the world. Sesshomaru looked over her shoulder and mouthed '_Thank you'_ to Inuyasha. It must've startled him but he smiled small and mouthed '_you're welcome_' in return.

Zaya squirmed to get free, eyes sparkling and arms with a death grip around the bear's neck, "Daddy, c'n Prince p'ay wit' me?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

Zaya looked back at Sesshomaru again a little shy, "Prince, p'ay wit' me p'ease."

"I'll love too," Sesshomaru couldn't resist. He kissed her forehead and her juicy cheeks. And just felt so-so alive. God this lovely child was his. His own flesh and blood. And so beautiful. Sesshomaru stood with her and the bear in her arms. "What do you wanna play first?"

Zaya ducked her face against the bear's stomach and pointed down at a corner of the living room with toys, crayons, markers and paper. "C'ayons p'ease."

"Alright," Sesshomaru put her on the floor and gently patted her butt. "You go get it ready. Dad—Prince will be there in a minute."

Zaya giggled and hurried over to put in everything in some kind of messy arrangement. She was out of ear range from her parents. Sesshomaru used a small minute to skate over Inuyasha's body without helping himself. Having a baby only added the weight in all the right places. A slither of his stomach peeked from where his shirt and the sweats meant, not an ounce of fat clinging to him. It all went to his thighs and ass. After all this time Inuyasha still looked good. He didn't look traumatized or helpless or disturbed. Maybe a little tired from all that's happened, but overall, Sesshomaru was secretly proud to see him doing so well.

"What's on ya mind Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked out of the blue.

Sesshomaru tilted his head, folding his arms, "What makes you think I got somethin' on my mind?"

"Because your lip is twitching," Inuyasha deadpanned as if it should've been obvious. Sesshomaru subconsciously balled his lips, causing Inuyasha to snicker. "Yeah, you still do it. Old habits die hard. So share your two cents."

Sesshomaru stopped the blush to rising on his cheeks. Damn, he thought he stopped doing that last year. "I do wanna know something," He stepped closer to Inuyasha's side and sure enough trust the hanyou to meet his focus dead on. Sesshomaru searched those hazel gold eyes for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you tell Zaya I'm her father."

"Because it's too soon. She's only seen you once."

"Shouldn't she get used to the idea at least? I dunno if I can deal with being called Prince and hearin' her only call you daddy. I deserve that title too."

"You'll get your chance Sesshomaru but only after she's used to seeing you around first," Inuyasha explained patiently. "It'll confuse her to know a stranger is her daddy."

"And whose fault is that?" Sesshomaru hissed and immediately regretted it when one of Inuyasha's ears flattened. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm bein' impatient. I'm just ready to hear her say that to me. I've been wantin' a child forever." Sesshomaru dragged a tired hand over his face, "I don't know a thing about being a father."

"I didn't either. No one's an expert on their first try," Inuyasha closed his arms around himself, Sesshomaru saw, and inched away. "It's a slow process, but you'll learn. She'll get used to seeing you and the shock of learnin' you're her daddy won't be so sudden. Gimme time to break it on her kay?"

"Alright," Sesshomaru grimaced. Inuyasha's arms were trembling a little. He wanted to reach out and quail his fears but knew it'd mess up the small peace they managed to settled between them. "I'm not hell bent on still takin' her Inuyasha. Not after learning the truth." It was out in the open. Sesshomaru wanted to know. It burned and toyed with his chest muscles like a need. "But I do wanna know. Why didn't you tell me you were raped?"

* * *

Inuyasha closed in on himself, wishing against all hope this subject could be dropped. "I don't wanna talk about this Sesshomaru. You're here to spend time with Zaya."

"I wanna know what happened first Inuyasha. Be honest with me for once. I'm tired of all these secrets." Sesshomaru sounded frustrated and hurt. Inuyasha didn't want that tone to affect him into confessing what he'd kept locked away for all this time. What good would knowing everything do four years later? It was over and done with. "Inuyasha."

"Just leave it alone Sesshomaru. I don't wanna talk about it," Inuyasha's hands trembled as he pushed back his banes. "I got it resolved. You knowin' about it isn't gonna change what happened."

"Is that why you wouldn't agree to marry me that night?"

Inuyasha averted his eyes to the floor, fingers digging into his forearms. "I said I don't wanna talk about it."

"But I do," Sesshomaru clipped Inuyasha's chin and turned him back to look him dead in the eyes.

Inuyasha was rooted down, forced to get lost in that bright, fiery gaze, enveloped in its inferno. He licked his lips, trying to turn his face away but Sesshomaru's hand kept him dead bolted in place.

"I wanna know where I failed you at least," Sesshomaru said, absently stroking his thumb over Inuyasha's cheek. "What caused you to stray away into some other man's arms? What did I do wrong that I couldn't protect you that night? Where was I? Tell me something Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's throat dried and so did his tongue. How could he answer honestly to that? What could he say? It was a moment of weakness? A pleasurable night with that bastard? There was no way to sugarcoat any of what happened. Sesshomaru was better off living in the dark without anything else to taint the light. But he could answer one question, "Yes," he said. "That's why I didn't wanna marry you when you asked. I couldn't risk it." He loosened his jaw when Sesshomaru's finger got dangerously close to tracing the scar under his chin. "I didn't know if Zaya was yours. I didn't want to hurt you."

"But you did hurt me Inuyasha," Sesshomaru's voice crackled. "My God, do you have any idea what you put me through? I couldn't sleep for days, I didn't eat, I drunk myself into oblivion. Fuck, I looked for you for months, thinking you ran off with some other man or I scared you away." Sesshomaru turned his head away before Inuyasha could see the bleeding rawness sneak through.

The small piece Inuyasha did see only made him hug himself more to save himself from Sesshomaru's pain, "I'm sorry for what I did. No amount of apologizin' is gonna equal up to what you've been through."

"It wasn't just me Inuyasha. We all missed you. We were all scared for you."

Inuyasha stepped back against the wall when Sesshomaru hovered over him, making the hurt absorb into Inuyasha's skin. When Sesshomaru reached out to touch him, Inuyasha flinched back, but Sesshomaru took him in his arms and slammed him against his chest. Sesshomaru cupped the back of Inuyasha's head to his shoulder and wrapped his arm around his waist. With his mouth planted flat against his hear, he let every detail ooze in Inuyasha's ear, unaware of the slight tremor it sent down like shock waves.

"My parents were afraid something had happened. They couldn't even reach your parents, thinking the worst. You and Naraku were supposed to go to see a play together that weekend but you never came. You promised to play checkers with Muso when he came to visit our school and Bankotsu wouldn't stop searching for you. Hakudoshi cried for days. Kagura was pissed off and I was so scared," Sesshomaru hugged the breath from Inuyasha's body. "You don't know what your leavin' did to us. Did to me. Inuyasha I loved you so much."

Loved.

Use to love.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and took in Sesshomaru's scent like a drunken sailor. He smelled just as he did years old. Jergen's lotion, small hints of grass and dove soap. Inuyasha's fingers closed in Sesshomaru's sweater and clung to him for the loss. Things would've been different. They could've stayed together, gotten married, had more children. But what good was it to dwell on it now?

Inuyasha did the one thing he should've done on that night and leaned away. He reached up, cupping his hands on Sesshomaru's cheeks and leaned up, lips a centimeter away from his. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru. I'm so, so sorry."

Sesshomaru's darkening eyes was nearly his undoing, but Zaya chose that moment to intervene, "P'ince come p'ay!"

The spell cracked like a whip. The two men broke away slowly, Sesshomaru reluctant to let go. Inuyasha wormed free and went to the living room. Sesshomaru didn't say another word to him the entire time he sat on the floor playing with Zaya. Inuyasha felt those times his eyes were stray to him but he refused to make eye contact.

Sesshomaru stayed for most of the day, learning what Zaya's favorite cartoons were, what she enjoyed playing with, her favorite foods and how much of a drama queen she could be. Inuyasha had to keep himself in check a few times when the two would laugh at something together, because the sting in the back of his eyes kept coming back.

Zaya eventually wore herself out after dinner time. Inuyasha cooked baked spaghetti, some butter Texas toast, and a small salad. Zaya hated spaghetti, so she ate some chicken nuggets with ketchup and string beans. Inuyasha showed Sesshomaru how to get her ready for bed, by bathing her, brushing her hair, braiding it, putting on her pajamas and leaving on her night light after tucking her in bed.

"Kiss Daddy," Zaya whimpered sleepily.

"Sure baby," Inuyasha leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams."

"P'ince too."

Sesshomaru who'd observed the whole lesson from a distance, buckled out of his day dream and looked at Inuyasha.

"Go on," Inuyasha urged without looking at him.

Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment but pushed up off the wall and kneeled by the bed. Zaya reached out to hug his neck when he bent down to kiss her. He sighed in her hair and kissed her cheek. "Good night baby girl."

"Nite, nite," She kissed Sesshomaru's cheek, yawned and settled in for the night.

The tear fell from Inuyasha's cheek this time as he watched the beautiful moment. How many times had he pictured something like this too? It was such an inviting scene, he didn't notice when Sesshomaru's finger trailed under the tear and swipe it away. In the hours since this morning and now, it was the first time they looked at each other.

Really, looked at each other. Inuyasha leaned against the door way, feeling exposed, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Sesshomaru said, not blinking. "You will." He reached out his hand to touch Inuyasha's face, but caught himself and let his hand drop by his side. It clenched in a fist, "Did you wanna go anywhere tomorrow?"

"I'll see."

Silence. Silence and more staring. Only the tick of the hallway clock tickled the quiet but nothing damaged the spell capture between them.

Keys jangled in the front door. Inuyasha frowned, then relaxed. Sesshomaru on the other hand, turned around spreading his legs as wide as his shoulders, ready for whoever was about to come.

"Whew, damn its cold as hell out there."

Inuyasha glanced around Sesshomaru's Macho Wall and saw Ryuukotsesui amble in with two large sized pizzas. He was bundled up from head to toe in, a red snap back, a brown wooly jacket, some blue jeans and a black turtle neck.

"Shit, it sucks being cold blooded, Yash' where ya at babe?"

Sesshomaru tensed up. Inuyasha did too because it was going to look all wrong. "He's just a friend," he said quietly.

"Yeah, sure," Sesshomaru snipped.

"He is," Inuyasha pushed around him. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming by."

"Yeah when I found out you took a holiday, I wanted to see how you were holdin' up," Ryuukotsesui eased out of his jacket and removed his snap back, letting all of his red hair dance around his shoulders. "Oh, you got company." He said once noticing Sesshomaru's looming presence in the entrance of the hall. Ryuukotsesui looked between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha cautiously before staring down at Inuyasha, "Ya good?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Sesshomaru said, vocal cords soaked with an attitude.

"Say what?" Ryuukotsesui looked Sesshomaru up and down like his gaze alone would shriek the man into the floor. He wasn't as tall as Sesshomaru but he evened it out when it came to bulkiness.

"The hell you starin' at?" Sesshomaru snapped.

"You," Ryuukotsesui shot back. He blinked when Sesshomaru's muscles flexed. "What? You got a problem son? Trust, this ain't what ya want."

"Both of you keep your voices down before you wake up Zaya!" Inuyasha hissed getting between the two. "What the hell's your problem?"

"Ask ole dude," Ryuukotsesui said. "He's the one trying to raise up like he can handle this."

"Oh you think I can't take your scrawny ass?" Sesshomaru bucked behind Inuyasha's hand. "Bring it partna'!"

"It's been brought!"

"Hey, hey, hey, enough!" Inuyasha pushed them both backwards, rolling his eyes. "Ryuu, I'm fine. Sesshomaru came by to visit Zaya. His order started today. You need to chill." He turned around to erase Sesshomaru's smug expression too. "And you need to calm down. Ryuu's Zaya's godfather, he comes by to visit her from time to time too. So you're gonna have to get used to seein' him."

Sesshomaru's glare could kill a rabbit, "And there's nothin' else goin' on?"

"No."

"Not that'd it be any of your business if there was," Ryuukotsesui defended.

"Tsk whatever," Sesshomaru grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just don't have any strange men coming around _my daughter._" He walked pass, bumping his shoulder with the dragon demon before stomping out pissed.

Inuyasha sighed, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. What happened. How did a perfect evening turn sour so quickly? One that was for certain, he was going to need to have a long talk with Ryuukotsesui. He didn't need any more problems added to his plate.

* * *

**TBC: Is Sesshomaru jelly? Hmmm. **


	11. Broken Down

**Warning: **Too sick to proofread.

**Broken Down**

* * *

"Everyone we have an announcement to make!"

It was Wednesday. Most of the Espada family was home, save for Midoriko and Koga. Naraku returned for a short vacation but was due back to New Orleans this weekend. Muso was there, as were the Espada Elders. Sesshomaru had discussed with Kyora about announcing their news to the family after they themselves could get used to the idea of being engaged. While Kyora found the prospect of their future enchanting, Sesshomaru was still getting used to the idea.

Kyora had beat him to the punch as soon as they walked through Sesshomaru's parent's household, making a dazzling spectacle of himself in a red and gold lacked turtle neck and jet black jeans. "Come all, this discussion doesn't deserve the kitchen. Come, come!" Kyora ushered everyone into the drop step living den, grasping Sesshomaru's hand in his and somehow getting the task done in a speedy matter.

When everyone was settled in, Kyora spotlighted himself and Sesshomaru in the midst of it all, all smiles and bashful glee. "Go on dearest, tell them," Said Kyora, gripping his arm. "Tell them everything!"

"Maybe he would if you'd shut the fuck up. . ." Sesshomaru heard that whisper and thank goodness Kyora hadn't. He shot a nasty glare down at Naraku with a promised ass whooping and Naraku opened his arms with a '_bring it'_ gesture.

"Well, I," Sesshomaru cleared his throat of the clogged frog and tried again. "I proposed to Kyora last week. We're getting married and he's pregnant."

"Yes we are!"

Silence enveloped the room. Gold eyes stared in bewilderment at red eyes. No one stood or said a word for the longest. It was Naraku to break the quiet disbelief with a disgruntled snort, "You're gettin' married? To him, you're serious?"

"Yes we are. It was a long time coming after all," Sparkled Kyora. "He's always wanted a child and now we can have one of our own and become a family."

Kagura snickered behind her hand until Naraku elbowed her in the ribs. "So you and Sesshomaru made a child? Together," She deadpanned, something else making her ribs ache besides Naraku's elbow. "God please that child. The poor thing won't stand a chance in school."

"Kagura behave," Izayoi scolded, then smiled up at her nephew and Kyora, "congratulations on your engagement you two and of course on the baby."

"Yeah forget them," Muso stood up to shake Sesshomaru's hand and kiss Kyora's cheek. "'Bout time you strapped him down. Now all we need is to make it official. When's the wedding date?"

"We haven't decided—"

"November 17th—"

The engaged demons spoke out at once. Sesshomaru's expression was a puzzled one while Kyora simply smiled.

"Hn, I guess it's November 17th."

"Thank you," Kyora tip toed to kiss his lips.

Naraku had about all he could stomach and stood to leave. "Well, that 'bout did it for me. I'm gone y'all."

"Where are you going?" Asked Sesshomaru.

"Out before I chuck a piss-puke in here," He tossed over his shoulder.

"Naraku!" Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Babe hold on a sec. Lemme talk to him."

"Of course," Kyora didn't care for Naraku's attitude anyway. They rarely got along since Kyora and Koga's heated beef a few months ago. The fight had escalated to a nearby showdown. Koga had been pregnant with Kagome at the time. Kyora had shown no respect towards Koga's condition at the time and nearly caused his miscarriage. Since, Naraku had warned Sesshomaru if he caught Kyora on the street alone he'd come with enough gats to scare the military.

By the time Naraku made it to his Onyx 2010 Escalade, he was yanked around by his arm and pressed against the driver's door. Naraku shoved Sesshomaru off, "Boy, have you lost your fuckin' mind? You make me scratch my shit, I'ma beat the prostitute makeup off your face!"

"No have you lost your mind?" Sesshomaru shoved him back. "The fuck you thinkin' disrespectin' my fiancée?—"

"Pfft man please, _I'm _disrespecting your fiancée?" Naraku pushed Sesshomaru back off him and dropped his keys on the ground. "He nearly made me use my damn daughter Sesshomaru. You think I'm gonna forget somethin' like that? Fuck you and especially fuck his prima donna ass. I don't like him and for damn sho' ain't gonna support this shit."

"Why because he isn't Inuyasha?"

"Da' fuck," Naraku stuttered, completely caught off guard. "Whoa baby, I ain't said nothing about Inuyasha. That's your conscious talking. I'm pissed because you ain't in love with Kyora—hold it, boy I swear if you say you can learn to love him, I'ma drop kick your heart out." Folding his arms and taking several breaths, Naraku massaged the tension from his eyes and stared at Sesshomaru out of the corner of his eye. "At least if you said you were marrying Inuyasha I'd know it was legit. Shit, you love him. I still like him. Him and Koga were cool. It'd be fun to hang out together like we used too. You do love him don't you?"

Sesshomaru closed his mouth when those very words promised to come out.

"Look, I'm not trying to dictate who you marry, lil cousin. That's your business. You're grown. But don't ask me to participate in some shit I don't agree with. Hell you shouldn't expect Koga and Bankotsu to give a damn. When he gets up here for Thanksgiving you'll get it in the ass."

Sesshomaru sighed so hard it sounded like he reached deep in his shoes and yanked, "I'm tryin' to move on from Inuyasha. Y'all my family. You're supposed to support me, not some flame that ain't gonna happen."

"Convince yourself of that first. Until then, I'm going home to the _man I love, whom I married_ and with the mood I'm in, work on my third child," Naraku picked up his keys, and stuck it in the car door. He looked over his shoulder. Sesshomaru's face was targeting the ants on the ground like a child who'd gotten his toy stolen. "Hey, hey, hey, hey," Naraku smacked the back of his cousin's, startling the fool out of his misery. "Don't do that shit. You're an Espada. Only the ugly folks look at the ground." He hopped in his car and cranked the engine.

"I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do," Sesshomaru murmured when the driver's window slid down. "I'm tryin' to move on from Inuyasha. But it's like everything I want and need points to him."

"God plays us like that. One minute you think you don't love 'em, can't stand 'em and the next, you can't help seeing their faces and smiling like _damn he's all mine."_

"You're whipped," Chuckled Sesshomaru.

"Yep, like Kunta Kinte," Naraku smiled too. "Koga pisses me off more than I can stand sometimes. But by the end of the day I don't regret it. I'm grateful. He forgave my cheatin' ass plenty of times and had two babies by me. Tsk, if that ain't love I don't know what is. You outta ask yourself how far Kyora's willing to go that Inuyasha hasn't already done," He pulled off with a short wave and flip of his middle finger.

Sesshomaru returned the gesture and a little more respect for his older cousin. Naraku was an idiot half the time but let the man spit some wisdom to you and everything changed. The problem with that is, he made you start thinking about your decisions too. Sesshomaru's cloudy mind was even more clouded. Was he doing the right thing by moving on? Or was this just his attempt to force Inuyasha's memories away.

* * *

The talk with Ryuukotsesui turned into something like a comedy fest. Inuyasha would say something and the dragon demon would crack a rib laughing. Inuyasha missed the joke entirely and when he asked for the punch line all he'd get was a saucy smile and a wink.

Sesshomaru was scheduled to see Zaya today after practice. Inuyasha wanted to use the extra time to get in some sleep.

When he woke up Wednesday morning it was to find two pink legs draped across his chest and a sticky trail of drool on his arm. Inuyasha snickered sleepily, remembering last night. His little girl woke up claiming she missed sleeping with her daddy and crawled right in before permission was given. Now he had a leg slowly drifting up to his face, two stubby arms criss crossed around his left bicep, and a long day ahead.

His cellphone on the nightstand started vibrating. That was the sixth time this morning and ninetieth miss called this week. Inuyasha pulled the sheets up to his chest and rose up, lazily catching Zaya's limp body before she rolled off the bed. Checking the caller ID he wistfully groaned inside. Koga's name flashed several times. Inuyasha had been avoiding his calls since court. Ignoring his best friend was probably offsetting but he knew what the conversation would be about.

How long could he ignore Koga's concern?

The phone reanimated itself a seventh time as soon as the sixth went to voicemail. Inuyasha sighed. Why prolong it? Either answer now, or expect a visit from his best friend within the hour. Inuyasha slid his thumb across the touch screen, "Yeah." He grunted.

"You fuckin' lied to me!" Koga's voice rung through like a struck frying pan. "He raped you? He fuckin' raped you! Motherfucker, give me one good reason not to kick his ass! It better be good, I swear it better be. I'm loading Naraku's gat right now, 'bout to lay half of ATL six feet under!" He sure was. Inuyasha heard the gun clicking into place, the magazine being loaded and Koga's testing aim. "Helllllllo, speak brah, speak!"

"Koga," Even after all this time Koga was still willing to go to bat for him. Inuyasha smiled into the phone, shaking his head. "You're crazy, ya know that?"

"I'm not playin' Inuyasha. You lied to me. I don't do—hold on a sec. Naraku!" Koga disappeared for a while. Inuyasha heard his muffled voice in the background scowling Miroku and asking Naraku to keep an eye on his children. "Ok, I'm back. Needed to get out of there, but for real Inuyasha. Why did you lie to me? To me man? I thought we were better than that."

"We are Koga. I'm . . . I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Inuyasha, he raped you. Raped. I could give a shit 'bout bein' hurt. You told me it was mutual. Where and when did this happen? Do you understand the position you've put me in here? Naraku knows I know about you cheatin', and now come to find out you were raped? He'll kill me. We gotta tell him,"

Inuyasha swung his legs around, maneuvering Zaya by his side, "Please don't. Please, just don't say anything for now alright? I know I'm askin' a lot of you—"

"You're askin' too much of me Inuyasha. I don't like keepin' secrets from my husband. We squashed that nonsense the day we said '_I do'_."

"Koga—"

"Just tell Sesshomaru what happened! He's not gonna be angry with you. Hell he knows about the rape. He'll want to protect you more than anything."

"It'll crush him," Inuyasha crackled sourly. "You think I wanna see the look on his face when I tell him who it was? That's his fuckin' family Koga. They mean everything to each other."

"How crushed do you think he'll be when someone else tells him?" Koga's sigh breezed over the receiver like a harsh gust, "Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha, damn," It was asking a lot of him, Inuyasha knew. Hadn't his plans already crumbled around him enough this month? Let some things stay in place. If anything else suddenly came up he'd probably lose his mind. "I don't like this. You lettin' that bastard get away with this. He's runnin' around here carefree as a got'damn bumble bee and you won't let me do shit about it. You won't let anyone do shit about it. This is bullshit."

Koga relented. Inuyasha felt the chords in his chest unravel. "Thank you Ko'."

"Don't thank me for this shit. Ain't no gratitude in me protectin' this asshole. You deserve better than that," The phone hung up. Koga was angry but he'll come around eventually. Inuyasha had to count his blessings that he answered when he had. Knowing Koga he probably would've shot first and asked questions later.

"Damn," Inuyasha carefully got back into bed and laid against his headboard dizzily. His head weighed as much as a concrete block with scenarios going on and the endless chances of something else going wrong.

_Knock. Knock. _

Inuyasha stiffened from head to toe, arms instantly going for his daughter when the scent of aftershave and dove soap came through the cracks of the door. He could smell breakfast cooking too. He chuckled, "Come in."

Ryuukotsesui stuck his head in, red hair all pushed off his face into a side braid. "You decent?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, get up. Got breakfast ready for ya. Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, toast and a couple of bagels."

"Thanks," Inuyasha shifted Zaya's sloppy mouth and morning breath away from his face. "What's the occasion?"

"Mannnn," Ryuukotsesui opened the door to walk in in with nothing but a pair of jersey shorts and a wife beater. He propped down on the corner of the bed bouncing Zaya and Inuyasha, "I gotta tell ya babe, I think I found my soul mate."

"Oh word? Who man who?"

"Mannnnn, it's this guy—now wait don't trip when I say who he is alright?"

Inuyasha's expression went from excited to skeptical in a flash, "It ain't that dude from fifth precinct is it?"

"Who, Moryomaru? Ew, that's just sick. Hell nah, it ain't him!" Ryuukosetsui stuck out his snake tongue disgusted. "Don't mess up my buzz. I'm really feelin' this guy and I want cha' to meet him when he comes to visit."

"Alright, alright so tell me what he looks like."

"Well, well, well, where to begin, where to begin," Ryuukotsesui reached out for Zaya and started playing with her tangled hair. "He's about 5'5, long wavy hair; I mean shit you wanna just run your hands through it. A body made of caramel candy and blue eyes—holy shit his eyes are something else. He looks all sneaky and shit, and he sounds so sexy over the phone. And when I say babe GOT. AN. ASS. ON. HIM? Yes lord, he is all that. When he sent me a pic his booty just sprung out at me like BAM! No, no, no, like this," Ryuukotsesui stood up. "BAM, BING, BING, BAM!"

"Uh-oh check it out, does that mean we're not getting married anymore? I'm crushed," Inuyasha feigned a broken heart.

Ryuukotsesui returned to the bedside, some of the flutter evaporating, "Nah, there's still hope. We got about three years left. I mean hell I'm knocking at thirty soon and still ain't got a kid to show for it." He smiled. "When you turn twenty five that'll be my cue to propose."

"And when you hit thirty that's when I'm supposed to give you a son right?"

"Yeah, something like that," Yeah Inuyasha remembered that promise all too well. It was a friendly deal made between the two. If by some time in the future neither had found their soul mates or at the very least were married, they'd mate and live their lives out to raise Zaya together with more children.

"Wait how did you meet this guy? What's his name?"

"I don't know," Ryuukotsesui blushed cheekily, scratching behind his head. "We kinda met online and spoke on the phone."

Inuyasha frowned, "Y'all talked on the phone and don't know each other's names yet?"

"We wanted to keep the formal stuff for when we met in person. I'm BacklashWave85 and he's Banryu1000. That's all we need to know for a while." Ryuukotsesui hoped from the bed. "Anyway you might wanna get up before the food gets cold." Ryuukotsesui pointy ears flapped up and down. He suddenly grinned like the cat who got the canary smothered in cream. "Lemme get Zaya ready." He said already taking her from Inuyasha.

"You sure?"

Ryuukotsesui hiked the girl up on his chest, "Hell yeah, I'm sure. Go on and get dressed. I'll be righttttt back." He left, cupping Zaya's face in his neck with a smile worst then a horny great white.

Inuyasha knew that look. He knew it all too well.

He better put on a shirt.

* * *

Coach Herman hadn't been too thrilled about letting Sesshomaru off practice today even with the excuse of spending time with his daughter. He said about something about Sesshomaru needing to appreciate the privacy before the child learned what a wallet was. A little late for that.

In his left arm was another teddy bear, slightly smaller than the first one and a box full of brand new Baby Phat, Dior, and Miss Me clothes. Perhaps he was going a little overboard but everytime he saw a little girl with her father, he'd think of Zaya and immediately think of finding her something expensive. It had to be expensive. No child of his would get anything else.

He walked up to the door, and used his Timberland boot to knock on the door. It wasn't as cool as the previous days. A simple red turtle neck and some dark blue jeans was his attire. Somewhere in this pile of stuff, he had a matching outfit for him and Zaya to wear when they got around to that point.

No answered. Puzzled, he balanced some of the bags to the other arm and raised his fist to knock again.

The door opened.

Sesshomaru felt like he went through a heat flash. His face went from shock to stunned, then to annoyed and pissed. Standing there in the doorway holding _his daughter_, wearing nothing but some jeans was the motherfucker from the other day. Sesshomaru balled his lips thinly and pushed down his temper. "What's up?"

"Not much," The dragon demon said, giving Sesshomaru up and down look. "Did you need anything?" He asked, stroking Zaya's messy hair into submission.

Stroking her hair with a hand that should be Sesshomaru's. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"In the bedroom sleepin'. Had a rough night," This mysterious asshole shifted Zaya on his other shoulder, smiling like he knew the kind of Sesshomaru would die to know.

Sesshomaru thought several different kinds of murder plots when Inuyasha emerged in a pair of black and red checkered pajamas and a red wife beater. As soon as his eyes saw Sesshomaru, the color in his face drained and his ears swiveled. That expression wasn't making this situation any better. "Mornin'," Inuyasha greeted uneasily looking from his friend and ex.

Sesshomaru didn't get a word out. Ryuukotsesui beat him to the punch, "Hey baby ya finally woke up."

No one was prepared for the dragon demon dropping a quick kiss on Inuyasha's cheek and him turning around to face Sesshomaru with his arm thrust across Inuyasha's waist. Like this, they were the picture of what any normal family would look like in the morning.

Yeah, it made Sesshomaru sick to his stomach.

"Excuse you," Said Inuyasha, unlooping the intrusive arm. "Ya mind? You're impossible. Go finish breakfast."

Ryuukotsesui whooped out a sudden laugh. "Come on ya gotta say that was funny. Did you see ole dude's face? Like he swallowed a shitty lemon! Oh lord have mercy!" Ryuukotsesui was beside himself laughing to what Sesshomaru discovered was his expense. There was a joke carried out on him and like a fool he'd played right into it. His hands folded and flexed out, as if having a mind of their own. One part wanting to punch the living shit out of this demon and the other trying to be patient.

Inuyasha's smack on the back of his head, made Ryuukotsesui bite his tongue. "Ouch, motherfuck—damn what'd I do? I was just playin'."

"Nah, you tryin' to get your ass whooped," Inuyasha took Zaya, pushing Ryuukotsesui toward the kitchen. "You burn up my bacon, don't bother comin' over here again." Inuyasha waited until his silly partner left him to quail Sesshomaru's obvious attitude. "Sorry 'bout that. He's just being silly. Come in."

"I won't be staying long. I need to make some arrangements with you."

Inuyasha closed the door, tightening his grip around Zaya, "Ok, about what?"

Sesshomaru spun on his heel in the living room to face Inuyasha and folded his arms, "I want Zaya to meet my family. My parents wanna meet their grandchild."

"Ok," Inuyasha repeated. "When?"

"When's the soonest she can see them?"

Inuyasha shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "It'll have to be when she knows you better. Zaya doesn't do too well around strangers."

"I need a date Inuyasha. Something solid."

"I can't give you a date based on my child's tolerance," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Do we really need to discuss this now? Ryuu, I'm gonna put Zaya back in bed."

"Cool!"

"You wait here," Said Inuyasha to Sesshomaru. He looked over his shoulder wearily, then stepped out of the living room for the hall way leading to the second bedroom. Zaya's room was a wreck. Sheets pooling on the floor, toys slung across the room in every way and how the hell did she mess up her curtains? Inuyasha gave his daughter a light shake. "Come on baby girl, you get another fifteen minutes then you get up kay?"

"Nooo Daddy, sweepy."

"Yes baby girl," Inuyasha situated her comforter on the bed and tucked her sheets underneath. He laid her down on the pillow and set her blankets under her chin. A few more minutes and she'll be right as rain. Zaya was just like him, not a morning person in the least.

Inuyasha tensed when he heard the door open and close, but didn't turn to face the door, despite his skyrocketing heartbeat.

"We need to talk Inuyasha."

That was Sesshomaru. It's just Sesshomaru. Inuyasha shut his eyes, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Why not talk here? It's a good a time as any." The door locked.

Inuyasha's expression twisted into something indescribable. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe passed the bile in his stomach as the room swirled in a tornado of colors. The colors took form, took shape of a past for which he'd never wanted to see again.

His old dorm room with the moth smelling carpet, his bed sheets tangled and his textbooks littering his desktop. Inuyasha turned around and some part of him died. He was facing the one who destroyed his life, the man who took away the one thing he'd shared with Sesshomaru. Long dark hair, those haunting eyes and laughing expression. "Get out," Whispered Inuyasha. "I'll be out in a minute."

Sesshomaru frowned, and advanced forward, "What's wrong with you?"

"I said get out. I don't want to talk to you."

That wasn't Inuyasha's voice, "Inuyasha," Sesshomaru closed the gap between them in three long strides. "What's going on?"

Inuyasha's eyes stretched the widest they could reach, pupils dilated, fully swallowing the gold, "Please, please don't."

"Don't what?" Sesshomaru grabbed him but Inuyasha shook free and ran for the door. He was caught around the arm and swung back against the door. What's wrong with you!"

Inuyasha shook his head rapidly, terror savoring every inch of his body, "Stop it! Don't touch me! Let me go!" He was a sniveling wreck, tore and broken down.

"Inuyasha, calm down! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

"Get off, please, get off me!" Inuyasha thrashed as a falcon would locked in a cage. A punch caught Sesshomaru's jaw, another in his stomach.

Sesshomaru locked the hanyou's wrists over his head and gripped his throat. "I'm not gonna hurt you Inuyasha!" Inuyasha couldn't see anything, couldn't hear a word. It was the same. Hands stapled to the door, a strong chest glued against his and the heat of angry soaking into his skin.

"Please, please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Inuyasha fell to the floor. It was as though his legs had simply given out from beneath him. He raised one arm to cover his face and extended the other hand towards Sesshomaru. "Please," he whispered. "Please don't hurt me."

Sesshomaru reached out to him, but Inuyasha's flinch kept his feet rooted on the ground. Nothing could have prepared him for when he heard another tearful cry shout at him from behind, "Stop it, don't hurt my daddy!" The whole room was a vibration of sounds, but none louder than Inuyasha's tears and Zaya's cries.

She crawled out of bed and ran into the back of Sesshomaru's legs, pounding his thighs with her fist, "You hurt my daddy Prince!" Zaya ran around him and stared up like she'd crack the world in half for her father. "Kiss his boo boo!" She stomped her foot. "You kiss his boo boo right now!"

Sesshomaru was already kneeling down when she asked. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sprang to his feet as though the word had been a charm to release him from his terror and shook his head. His eyes were hollow and distant, but the spark of a warning loomed within. "Just don't come near me again, Sesshomaru," he said. "I'll call you. Just leave."

Sesshomaru could've move if he'd been paid too. Inuyasha had such a robotic ridge in his body, he looked damn near impossible to crack. He knew it was in their best interests that he did leave before things escalated any further then they had. Someone had hurt Inuyasha deep in his soul.

Inuyasha didn't want to see his face and kept his eyes averted when Sesshomaru finally left without a word. The front door opened and closed before he released a small cry of loss.

Sesshomaru's head dropped against his steering wheel. Of all the things to happen, he thought he'd never see the day when Inuyasha was reduced from a man to a child in seconds. The look in his eyes was horrible, and it disgusted Sesshomaru.

Good God for someone to have struck fear in Inuyasha's heart that much. Who the fuck could've done it to him? What had he'd done to remind the hanyou of that night. "Fuck!" He slammed his fist against the round rim and sighed. Sesshomaru was so lost on what to do.

He wanted to run back inside and hold Inuyasha and rock away all of his nightmares.

The one thing he could not do.

* * *

**TBC: I'm not too thrilled about how this chapter turned out. I rewrote it three times but oh well. **


	12. Beginnings to a New End

**Author's Rant:** I hope everyone has had a fine Merry Christmas.

* * *

**Beginnings to a New End**

* * *

Waking up early in the morning wasn't always this hard, but shit if Sesshomaru wasn't feeling the pains. Every inch of his bed had been marked with his body from the constant tossing and turning. His hands trembled worst then a frostbite victim. His eyes were drained of tears, dried and soiled with red veins. For half the night he spent it on his back staring at the ceiling or half his body over the edge watching the floor, or rolled on his side blinking stupidly at his PLANAR 46'' Matrix TV.

The rest of the night he sat on the edge of the bed, face buried in his large hands and elbows perched on his gapped legs.

It wasn't until the middle of early morning when the sun was softly grazing the sky when he revealed his face, clasping his hands together in silent prayer. "Jesus," He grumbled hoarsely. His mind was so jumbled, so mixed in chaotic conflict. When he gave his bedroom a sweep, it seemed so much bigger than before. Royal navy covered majority of the oversized room on the comforter set, on a rectangle rug, and a couple of the symmetrical night stands and dressers. The carpet was plush cream, the walls were a deep tope, and his pillows were a rotating mix of the three colors.

Koga had told him these colors would relax him; give him peace of mind whenever Sesshomaru felt tired or zapped from a busy day.

Sesshomaru was going to have to tell his cousin-in-law that they just weren't working this time. The veranda window behind him gleamed brightly as the sun rose and bath his bedroom in deep orange lights. His back felt the heat and slight chill as he ran a hand through his banes and down through his ponytail.

He couldn't wrap his mind around anything else but Inuyasha, the hanyou's face, the way he kneeled on the ground no better than a frightened child. No one, no one deserved to be reduced so pitifully. Sesshomaru had been struck with a range of emotions. Anger, rage, sadness, pity, regret, and all of them were on him, the last person who needed any of it. The things Inuyasha must've gone through that night. It devoured Sesshomaru alive knowing he hadn't been there to defend his ex. It only worsened knowing he hadn't a clue about who the hell did it.

Sesshomaru wanted nothing more than to find the bastard and dig his claws through his heart and eat it before his eyes. The bastard deserved the same pain, the same stab of fear he'd put Inuyasha through and more. "Damn," his voice sounded so loud in the quiet two-story home.

"Mew," Something brushed against his ankles like a snaking boa. Sesshomaru dropped his hand down without looking and felt the tiny pinch of claws darting up his arm before his two tailed neko cat Kuroro nestled on his shoulder. Her fur was a slightly different hue from the rest in her litter. It was why Sesshomaru bought her two years ago in a breeders show. Her star, ears, the tips of her tail and paws were dark black. The mane around her neck was also extremely black. The breeder selling her said she'd never be able to show because of her patterns being too out of the ordinary. It was a loss on his end. Sesshomaru found her to be intelligent and quick as whip when she wanted to be. "Mew."

Sesshomaru curled his finger under her chin, "No baby girl, I'm good. Daddy's just tired." Kuroro tilted her head, blinking her bright red eyes as if to say, _do better daddy_. _I know when something's wrong_.

Well, what could it hurt confiding in a cat? He'd told her plenty in the past and she was quiet enough to keep quiet. But like all good shrinks, she was going to want payment for her services. Sesshomaru stood wearing a pair of purple and black plaid pajama pants, barefoot and shirtless. Kuroro made herself comfortable on top of his head, preferring to be the top of the world. "Don't leave anything up there lil' girl." He warned, feeling the first kind of good perking his mood.

"Mew."

With it only being him and her in this large size condo, it wasn't a surprise she was spoiled rotten. Sesshomaru kept a mini fringe strictly for her meals, spring water and special snacks. Kuroro had a room about the size of an average newborn tucked away in the corner of the house with built in wall cubes, climbing branches, a yarn ball as big as a basketball, feathers, dangling bells, and so on. It was a tiny piece of paradise compared to the rest of the mansion, but there was no way of convincing her that her property was small.

"Mew, mew, mew."

"Don't rush me," Chuckled Sesshomaru as he lowered to his heels to open her refrigerator. He pulled out a Ziploc of freshly chopped tuna. He plucked out two cubes and she snatched them as soon as they reached eye level. "Ok, you should be good for a fifteen minute talk right?" She purred and settled down on his head. Sesshomaru shoved the rest in his pocket and walked to his living room to sit.

As soon as he sat down, Kuroro let out the ugliest hiss he'd ever heard. "You want me to stand up? What kind of therapy session is that?"

"Grrrrr."

"Cool, we stand," Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and stood up. Maybe a walk around the house would do him some good. Hell, it was big enough and there were some bedrooms he'd only seen once.

"Mew."

"Oh right," He'd gotten quiet during the beginning of the stroll, hands in his pockets, just thinking to himself. "I'm wondering why I put myself through some of the things I go through. Inuyasha and me, we're over. So I keep askin' why I give a damn about the woes he's going through. When he said leave it alone, I should just let it be." He rounded down the hallway to one of the guest rooms, looked inside and stepped out. "He said he didn't wanna talk about it. But why not? I'm entitled to knowing what went down ain't I?"

"Mew."

That didn't sound like a reply for his side of the argument. "So I should just leave it alone?"

Kuroro blinked down at him.

"Oh, let him do it on his own time."

She purred.

"Right," Sesshomaru should've figured that out on his own. Inuyasha didn't want to talk about it. Hell, who would want to relive the details to something that horrible? "Then we have a kid together. Damn and she hates me right now. I can't believe she thought I was tryin' to hurt her daddy. I would never, ever in a million years hurt Inuyasha. I lo—" Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "I just wouldn't do that kind of shit to 'em. I didn't mean to scare him like that. I just wanted to talk." He sighed. "Maybe I came off a little strong. I should've waited like he told me. My patience could use some work."

Kuroro let loose a long mewl.

Sesshomaru stopped where one of the bathrooms came into view and lifted an eyebrow, "You ain't gonna agree to everything," And kept walking. "It wasn't my fault. I would've stayed but I ain't feel like being in the same room as that dude he got in his place." Yeah, that dragon. Sesshomaru still didn't like him, well, he didn't think he did. He barely knew the man from a grain of rice but Inuyasha knew him.

Just like Sesshomaru knew there were a slew of people Inuyasha probably knew that he didn't. Probably a bunch of men. Alpha men he worked with. That guy was an Alpha male. Sesshomaru frowned. He wondered if. . . if Inuyasha has slept with anyone else since he left the school. Sesshomaru had been his first and only—no, minus the rape—but still his first. Was that pleasure shared with someone else? Like that dragon man? Had they been intimate? Was he able to comfort Inuyasha where he could not?

And how did Zaya see him? Could he fill the void Sesshomaru missed out on? "Damn it,"

They were inside one of the bedrooms closest to the back of the house. When they stopped in front of a vanity mirror, Kuroro stretched her paws out and said "Mew."

"I ain't jealous," Sesshomaru bite off.

Kuroro looked at him like he was stupid.

"Oh you ain't say that huh?"

"Mew."

"Don't get smart," Sesshomaru fed her another tuna cube. He was so confused, just so bothered with everything. And it all boiled down to the fact of him not knowing how to move on and keep out of Inuyasha's life. A part of him wanted to stay and yet there was the part of his brain reminding him that he'd wanted to move on and start fresh.

He'd done that hadn't he? Kyora was expecting their first born. They were supposed to get married in a couple of months. Those were the first few steps toward recovery.

And yet, why couldn't he have Inuyasha in there somehow? Like a protector in a way of not being his man?

Sesshomaru wished things were like they used to be in the good ole days. He remembered his great granddad Totosai always talking about when Alpha males could take on more than one mate and keep rolling. This day and age, folks frowned upon that kind of living.

"Mew, mew."

Sesshomaru looked up. Kuroro's twin tails swished in the air, up and down, side to side and then into a twirling pair. It had him thinking, seeing the black tips dabble and twitch together and part ways. He smiled.

Friends. Yeah, that could work. Stupid him, he should've thought of that himself. He'd still be in Inuyasha's life without messing up the thing he had going with Kyora. Plenty of split couples remained friends. Shoot, a lot of them worked out better that way. Sesshomaru nodded to himself and when he glanced up, he found himself back in the living room staring out at the large veranda.

"Mew," Kuroro tapped his crown with her paws.

Sesshomaru smiled up at her and reached in his pocket for three tuna cubes. "Ya did good baby girl. Daddy's feeling better already."

Kuroro nibbled her payment happily and finished up with a curl and plop. She wasn't going to move anytime soon. That was just fine with Sesshomaru. He was feeling better already. With the way his mood was improving, she could tangle up his hair and be forgiven in the same blink. As a matter of fact, he was in such a good mood, Sesshomaru showered, put on a pair of Ralph Lauren Jeans Polo, a red long sleeved Polo Shirt with a white band across his chest and a pair of low top forces. After cleaning himself up, including washing his hair and bounding it up in high ponytail, he whipped out his cell and dialed.

Drake's music played back with Lil Wayne's new mix HYFR. Sesshomaru counted backwards and forwards before Naraku's phone automatically clicked itself on.

"_Right there!"_

"_Right there baby?"_

"_Hell yessss!"_

Sesshomaru blushed all kinds of red and held the phone from his face. Oh man, please say he didn't catch them in the act of baby 3?

And yet the man side of him couldn't stop the temptation to listen in. Shame on him, shame on him— Whoa, he didn't now Koga could hit that note. Dude's got a pair of lungs on 'em.

"_Touch me baby, touch me. There, right there. That's it, just like that."_

"_You like it baby?"_

"_Yeah, you know how to treat me."_

Sesshomaru sniffled, rubbing under his nose. He had enough blackmail to shock the country. This was the third time he'd heard Naraku and Koga going through their baby making session and Naraku sounded like a pigeon on speed. At the rate they were going, they just might score a set of triplets this time.

"_The fuck_," The phone went silent. Sesshomaru snickered when heard some shuffling in the background and Naraku's confused voice. "_Baby is that you?"_

"_Naraku, don't you dare. I was this damn close!"_

"_Nah baby I'm serious.I heard breathing."_

"_No shit Sherlock, you'd be dead otherwise!"_

"_No, no shhh listen."_

Silence again.

"_I don't hear anything."_

"_I heard breathing. The kids ain't in here are they?"_

"_The kids are takin' a nap. You worrying over nothing. Now c'mere. We gotta finish what we started." _Koga purred, sheets spreading.

Naraku didn't sound that convinced. But after a while the bed springs dipped and the wet kissing noises soaked Sesshomaru's ear. He'd heard about enough and waited until they got good and comfortable before letting out a loud, "Naraku, ya outta let me get a taste of Koga too. Baby, sounds good enough to eat!"

That did it. That done did it. He knew Naraku's bionic-hearing-ass was probably covering Koga's body with every sheet they had and growling like a caveman. Some movements later, Naraku's demonic grunting said he pinpointed the source and stomped over to snatch his phone out of his pants, "I knew it! I knew somethin' was wrong. Ya, nasty ass pervert! You ain't tastin' shit in here. Babe, load my gat. Sesshomaru take me for somebody to play with— Wait, get back in bed. He probably got cameras in here."

Koga was dying in the background, laughing hard.

"_What the fuck is funny?" _Naraku shouted, dead serious. "_You wanna fuck 'em or somethin'? Go for that shit and see what happens! I'm fucking you and him up! Nobody loves me. It's cool. Got'damn conspiracy in here! I knew you liked him better than me. Fuck my feelings and shit huh?"_

Sesshomaru flopped on his couch, laughing right along with Koga. "Shut the hell up man. You know I love you like a brother. I wouldn't dare do that shit."

"_Fuck you,"_ Naraku said. "_You don't love me. Talkin' about tastin' my husband. Fuck this, Koga get the_ _divorce papers. I'm takin' the kids and all the shit. You won't have a pair of stank drawers to your name. Nah don't kiss me. You don't . . . hmm, you don't . . . mmmm, love me. Babe Sesshomaru's on the phone . . . I'm sorry. Yeah, I love you too. Sexy ass."_

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at the licky smacks, Koga's whispering and kisses and waited until Naraku returned with a brand new tone in his voice, "A'ight baby boy what can I do for you?"

"Y'all feel like going out today?"

"Where you tryin' to go?"

"_I dunno, the mall, the Waffle House, something."_

"_Cool, I'm game. Hold on. Baby, you wanna go out to eat?"_

"_Where we goin'?"_

"_Waffle House!"_

"_Nope, I'm thinkin' Roscoe's in the mall!"_

Naraku returned on the phone, "_Koga says Roscoe's in the mall."_

Sesshomaru shrugged, "That works. I'll call Kagura, Muso and Kyora—"

"_Never mind, I don't wanna go_."

"Naraku," Sesshomaru smiled softly. "Please, I need my family. I'm in a good mood today."

"_. . . We ain't gotta talk to each other do we?"_

"No."

"_Alright. We'll meet y'all at Roscoe's_."

"Peace," Sesshomaru hung up and called out for Kagura and Muso. They were game for the trip out too. His blossomed like a burst of fireworks. He was hanging out with his family today and had a solution to his problem. Life was finally looking good.

* * *

Lenox Square Mall was a bee hive of activity. Teens frequented in and out of the Forever 21, Gamestop, Nike, and Wet Seal stores for the extra 40% off sales. Auntie Ann's Pretzel shop had three lines wrapped from the front of Panera all the way to Planet Smoothie. Ryuukotsesui rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in the pocket of his black and red Nike sweat suit and high top black Jordans. All his red hair was combed back off his face in three thick red cornrows with black rim reading glasses on his face.

The dragon demon checked his watch a third time and sighed. He arrived about five minutes early but damn what guy didn't these days? That fashionably late thing was for the dogs. And the smell of Auntie Ann's had his tongue watering for a cinnamon pretzel with a side of Coke.

"God daddy!"

Ryuukotsesui smiled. A little late but he could forgive it for that sweet face. He tucked his cell in his pocket just when the back of his knees buckled forward. "Hey Suga."

Zaya opened her mouth into a wide grin, "Hey God daddy!" She latched her arms around his leg and plopped right down on his foot. "I ride God daddy?"

"Sure can baby. Where's your daddy at?"

"He comin'," Zaya looked over her shoulder. " 'urry Daddy!"

Inuyasha was coming, but taking his time, eyes strayed on the ground. This was the reason Ryuukotsesui wanted his friend out of the house. The hanyou's been moping around the living room, picking lint off the carpet and coloring all of Zaya's picture books. It was the only excuse he could think of to weasel the hanyou out. Inuyasha was all for shopping for Zaya and would lose himself for hours finding everything she needed.

Inuyasha came up in a pair of black acid washed jeans, a red long sleeved polo sweater and black reeboks. It took him most of an hour to gather all his hair in a ponytail divided in two plaits.

Ryuukotsesui hooked his arm around Inuyasha's shoulders. "Ya good baby?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Inuyasha laid his head down on the dragon's shoulder for a second before giving his head a good shake. "I need to get a grip huh?"

Ryuukotsesui rubbed his neck, "Nah, what you need to do is stop blaming yourself. All that moping isn't any good for you and neither is it for Zaya. That's why I'm taking you on a shopping spree." He bit back a laugh, and reached in his back pocket for his wallet. "Here, twenty dollars. Knock yourself out."

That did the trick. Like a struck match, Inuyasha's mood switched from sad to mad. He was downright pissed. "The fu—" he looked down at Zaya. "The freak you think I'm gonna do with this wrinkled ass twenty? Buy my baby a pack of ribbons? You can keep this." Inuyasha crumbled the bill in his fist—on second thought, that's gas money. He put it in his pocket before plucking his daughter off the floor. "Let's go baby girl before I beat your God Daddy."

"Ohhhh," Said Zaya, bouncing back and forth. "God Daddy gonna get spanking?"

"Hmm mmm," Inuyasha walked off, a smile creeping up on his face. His mood was steadily getting up there.

When Ryuukotsesui crept up next to him, his smile vanished. The dragon's on the other hand was a mile wide. "You better learn how to budget baby boy. Twenty dollars is a tank of gas, about fifteen double cheeseburgers, eighteen small fries, five packs of socks or a case of Bud."

"You think that's all we're worth?"

"Nah," Ryuukotsesui threw his arm around Inuyasha's waist and tugged him to his side. "I happen to think you and Zaya are worth more than that. Gimme another three years and I'll show you how much." Ryuukotsesui puckered his lips for a kiss.

And he sure got it, a nice wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. "MMmmmmmha!" Zaya planted her lips right there for five solid seconds.

Baby drool residue dribbled on his cheek but it was the sight of Zaya's chubby face and Inuyasha's laughter to lighten the situation. Inuyasha wiped his friend's cheek clean, "You a trip . . ." Silence, then. "I really appreciate you, ya know that? You've been good to us and . . . you've been my rock . . ."

"You saved me first babe," All joking aside now. Ryuukotsesui hugged them close and this time with arms meant to protect. "Remember I ain't got family here. You were there when my folks and brother died. You and Zaya? Y'all all I got. Of course, I'm gonna watch out for my family."

Inuyasha chuckled softly, nuzzling his face in Ryuukotsesui's chest. Zaya reached for a head to tuck under her arm pits. The trio shared a calm, nice laugh. Inuyasha strangely felt better, so much better. Those nerves were gone. All of those fears vanished.

Except . . . well Sesshomaru's face. It was the only part of his memory that stayed constant. Stayed washed in helplessness. Inuyasha sighed. He'd told Sesshomaru to go away. For that moment Inuyasha hadn't seen Sesshomaru. He'd seen that other man's face. That other bastard.

Inuyasha shook his head. Sesshomaru didn't deserve that. He didn't need to be compared to that ass. "Come on," he squirmed out of the family moment. He cupped Zaya in his left hand and dragged the dragon with his right.

"Where we going?" Asked Ryuukotsesui.

"We need to eat. We're gonna need the energy."

"For what?"

"Something," With the mood he was in, he was going to need the energy to figure out how to talk to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru had managed to contact most of his family and convinced them to go out together. Kagura and Midoriko with their son Hakudoshi, Naraku and Koga with their kids, Muso and Kyora, all of them stopped by the newly built Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle in Lenox Square Mall. Koga and Midoriko had the kids to another table. The rest of them had a table to themselves. Kyora stayed glued under Sesshomaru's arm the entire time.

"Dude you were left wide open! Terrell ran straight through you on the open and took the dive," Muso took a sip of his sweet tea. "If you stayed at the fifty yard line and cut a Hell Mary you would've had the touchdown."

Naraku waved his chicken leg in the air, "You forget, Terrell's got a whole one fifty on me. What I look like tacklin' a Mach Truck?" He tore off a shred of his chicken, chewing and speaking. "I wanna keep my job longer then a season thank you."

"You're weak. If it'd been me I would've took ole dude out and had the rest of offense laid out."

"Muso, you weigh a good, what, buck eighty dripping wet?" Sesshomaru chewed on a few fries. "I can't even take out Terrell. "

"Tsk, he must got a pair of brass in them britches," Kagura licked along the side of a fry she snatched off Sesshomaru's plate and stuck it in her mouth. "Fool, Terrell would put you under boot."

Muso rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Let basketball be your thing lil' girl and I'll handle da' pig skin."

The group shared a laugh. Kyora chuckled delicately behind a curled finger. Sesshomaru spotted his tray of food, still full. "Babe you ain't eatin'."

"Oh," Kyora picked at a piece of his waffle. "I'm not too fond of," his fork stabbed a waffle cube and a piece of chicken, grease bubbles boiling from the puncture holes, "fattening meals. I don't think it'll be healthy for our son."

Kagura blinked, "It's a boy? You're sure? Oh, that poor thing." She remarked giggling.

"Come again?"

"I'm just playin' but have you seen y'all faces?" Kagura pointed at Sesshomaru then to Kyora, "That child ain't gonna make it pass the second grade without an ass whoopin'."

Naraku's snickering added in with Muso's and Koga's from the back table. Kyora's giggles however stirred the group's laughter into a quiet pool. "How wonderful you should think my child so beautiful before birth. But isn't it odd that you should be worried about my child when it's your own you should be concerned about?"

Kagura paused, head bowed dangerously, "Say what?"

"Nothing dear. Haku has nasty asthma doesn't he? Our son's perfectly healthy. Not at all, what's the word?" Kyora smiled. "Defective."

"The fuck you say about my boy?" Kagura shot up.

And Naraku pushed her right back down. "Cool it K, ignore his ass."

"Yeah K, he was just jokin'. Straight up Kyora, lay off my nephew," Said Muso. "Espadas don't produce defective kids."

Kagura bucked her brother off, "To hell with this shit. I took up for ya ass when other folks said you weren't worth shit and you dis my baby?"

Kyora let out a long delicate laugh. "Honey control yourself. It was just a friendly chat. You're so sensitive."

"Sensi—Sesshomaru, you better check this fool before I wretch his ass! Sesshomaru! Sess—" Kagura stopped tying back her skirt. Midoriko stood up with Koga, both about to try to calm the situation down when Naraku and Muso's silent curse threw their attention.

Sesshomaru didn't move, couldn't if he tried. His eyes were zeroed in toward the front entrance where Inuyasha stood with Zaya in his arms and that dragon dude from before.

Inuyasha saw him too, just as transfixed at the sight of him.

"Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru, hello?" Kyora snapped several times in his face and got nothing. The phoenix demon squirmed and shifted uneasily in his seat. He had a sick feeling in his stomach. He glanced up. The rest of the Espada family was in a captivated trance towards the door. Even the children.

Kyora followed suit.

Standing at the front door were two men and a small girl.

Funny how fate had a way of twisting things from one minute to the next.

Because not only was Sesshomaru seeing an old familiar face but so was Kyora. When he spotted the man with braided red hair, brown eyes and dark skin he froze like a deer in the headlights. "Ryuu. . ."

Inuyasha swallowed those butterflies back in his chest and took in the man only a few feet away. Never in a million years had he been expecting to find Sesshomaru here. Not only him but nearly the whole Espada family as well. Naraku, Kagura, Koga, Midoriko, the children and . . . Muso.

Inuyasha's lips thinned harshly across his face.

"PRINCE!" Zaya unpredictably started squirming in Inuyasha's arms until she nearly fell loose. He had to put her down on the ground and watch her scurry away to the table where she saw Sesshomaru there with his family and someone else.

Inuyasha wasn't certain what made his stomach churn worse; the sight of his ex with someone else or the way Sesshomaru's eyes could snivel a grape to a raisin.

"Ain't this a bitch?"

Inuyasha blinked, half tearing his gaze away from Sesshomaru and looking at Ryuukotsesui's profile. His jaw was set firm, eyes narrowed and lips rolled back over his fangs. "What's wrong?"

The dragon demon cocked his eyebrow once, and then closed his eyes to breathe softly, "Nothing. Nothing at all. Watch it babe. Ole dude's comin'."

Inuyasha turned back to see Sesshomaru sliding out the booth, kneeled to pick up his daughter and come forward like a demon determined for the hunt. Inuyasha held his feet down on the ground and waited. Waited for Sesshomaru to approach, waited for those eyes to stop staring, waited for the moment he'd have the chance to apologize.

The last one seemed choked in his throat. When Sesshomaru arrived, words failed Inuyasha miserably. Tongue tied like a fool, what the hell was wrong with him?

"Hey."

Inuyasha recoiled like the rumble of Sesshomaru's voice was made of lightning. _Get it together man_, "Hey."

"We need to talk. No interruptions this time," Sesshomaru appointed looked Ryuukotsesui up and down but for once the dragon wasn't paying him any attention.

Sesshomaru's eyes looked crossed serious and a small plea. Neither left Inuyasha a lot of options other than to nod once, "Yeah, we do. Ryuu watch Zaya for us, kay?"

"Cool," Ryuukotsesui absentmindedly took Zaya from Sesshomaru, eyes still locked forward.

The two Inus exited out of the small restaurant side by side. Inuyasha put his hands in his pockets and held his head up. Sesshomaru lead the way down the bustling corridors to one of the less frequented stores. Only three people were inside this one and the rest of his family was a good distance back. Whatever he wanted to say, Inuyasha knew he wanted it all out. No repeats.

"How ya been?"

Inuyasha licked his lips. Sesshomaru's voice sounded rough, like he had ashes deep in his lungs. "I'm good. Just living day to day."

"I meant since that time."

Of course he was never the kind to dance around the subject. "Adjustin', but. . . look I didn't mean for that to happen the way it did. I just—freaked. I don't like doors closing behind me without my permission. I hate it more when someone sneaks up behind me." Inuyasha reached up to pull at his side lock before just flipping it over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes to the side.

"I'm sorry," Sesshomaru's finger wrapped around his chin and gently angled Inuyasha's face back to his. "I didn't know. It won't happen again. If there'll be another _again_?"

Inuyasha chewed the corner of his lip, than freed his chin, "There has to be. We got a baby together. I can't keep you away just 'cause I had a pussy moment." He chuckled.

"Not just because of Zaya. You too. I mean just to have me around," Sesshomaru's fingers twitched like they needed something to squeeze so he forced them in his pockets to tame. "I wanna be friends. No more pussy footing around each other and shit. I'm tired of the tension and all the confusion. I don't expect you to confide in me the way you do ya friend. Not this soon, but I'd like that. I wanna be the shoulder you can lay your head on and. . ." Sesshomaru sighed long and tired. "I want my best friend back."

Inuyasha was facing this man before him because if he disappeared he'd know he wasn't real. But Sesshomaru stood there, tall, unsure and twitchy. His efforts were something else, but his patience never changed. It made the feeling in Inuyasha's stomach simmer down. "I'd like that. Friends, yeah that can work."

Inuyasha watched his ex's shoulders deflate like a needled balloon, "Cool."

Inuyasha held out his hand to shake.

Sesshomaru looked at it like it was poisonous. Instead of reaching for the hand, he pulled his left arm out and hooked it around Inuyasha's neck, shoving his face between his shoulder and neck. "Friends give hugs right?"

Inuyasha shivered. Sesshomaru smelled nice. Like syrup, grease and AX body spray. His left flapped against Sesshomaru's cheek as he looped his arm around Sesshomaru's waist, "Hugs are nice." Or was it just an excuse to hold him. No, Inuyasha would look a gift horse in the mouth. Just let the moment roll. For once, just let it be ok to be happy. "But don't say you wanna be friends just to feel my ass ya perv."

"Whatever," Sesshomaru playfully bopped Inuyasha's forehead. "I got all the ass I need, thank you."

"Yeah I saw," Inuyasha's fingers played around Sesshomaru's shirt for a moment. "So you and that red head?"

Sesshomaru's hand lingered on Inuyasha's forehead for a minute, "Engaged."

That sick feeling returned tenfold and vanished just as fast as it came. "Glad to hear it. You're a good man Sesshomaru. Someone was gonna see it eventually." What a way to turn a relaxed moment sour. Inuyasha would chew off his left leg before he admitted to be jealous of some other hand in Sesshomaru's arms at night. "We outta head back."

"We should," Sesshomaru stepped back, the air between them like a magnet wanting to recapture the heat. " 'sides, my family's missed you. Especially Naraku."

Inuyasha smiled, "Word? He still goin' to those plays?"

"Not since school. Nobody else is into that shit 'cept you and him."

Inuyasha lead the way out the store and into the wide halls, "We had fun."

They passed by one of the smaller stores before Roscoe's when Sesshomaru slid a sideways glint at the hanyou, "Despite everything . . . they're gonna be happy to see you."

"Me too," Inuyasha missed that warm inviting feel he had around the Espadas. Everyone cared for one another and looked out for each other. They'd always been a close knit family, even to him and Koga when they were the roughest kids in the neighborhood. Zaya couldn't be a part of a better family.

The atmosphere in Roscoe's had somewhat returned when they made it back in. Sesshomaru cupped Inuyasha's shoulder and gave him the push he needed to go inside. Only thing was, when he had something didn't feel right. After giving the restaurant a good look around, he saw why.

Muso was staring right at him with eyes red hot. Inuyasha met his gaze head on like the collision of two charging bulls. The looks were silent, secretive and gone within seconds.

Sesshomaru was wrong about one thing. Not everyone was glad to see him.

* * *

Ryuukotsesui sighed, dragging his hand over his face as he thought about what who he'd just seen. When Inuyasha left he found the closest wall and stayed there away from everyone and anyone and for good reason. He was mad enough to melt a table.

He had no idea what kind of sick joke God was playing but damn as if his life couldn't get more fucked up then it was. What were the chances of him running into him again? In Atlanta? What the hell was he doing here? And with Inuyasha's ex.

That couldn't have been the worst kind of punch in the gut.

"God daddy sad?"

Ryuukotsesui blinked and looked at his god child hugging around his leg. He gave her a assuring grin, "No Suga, I'm good."

"Oh," Zaya went back to finding a comfortable spot on his legs and in the next second squealed at the top of lungs when she looked towards the entrance. "Daddy!"

Thank god. Ryuukotsesui was feeling edgy and high on nerves. Being in here any longer was going to bring all shades of bad. Zaya unlatched herself from his legs and ran off to meet her daddy and Sesshomaru.

"Ryuukotsesui."

Every hair on the back of his neck reared up. Ryuukotsesui kept his back straight and his muscles taut from tensing up as he turned around to see the one he'd hope to avoid.

Kyora stood there, clasping and opening his hands as if unsure what they were there for. "How have you been?"

"Piss off Kyora," Ryuukotsesui hissed under his breathe.

The phoenix demon folded his arms head bowed, "You're still angry."

Ryuukotsesui barked a nasty laugh, "With you? Hardly. You ain't even worth the effort."

"You needn't be so cruel. I only wanted to say hello."

"Tsk yeah, four years after the funeral. Look, back up away from me before I 'cause a scene. I ain't beyond slappin' yo ass in front of ya man."

Kyora played it smart only in backing away but keeping in ear range. "Sesshomaru wouldn't appreciate you speaking to me this way."

"Like I give a damn about—what the hell do you want?"

"I," Kyora nervously glanced from side to side, lifting his fingers to his lips. "I was just saying hello." Then his hands glided down toward his stomach where a tiny lump expanded. "And that I'm sorry."

The dragon looked at Kyora like he'd lost his mind, "I don't want your fuckin' apologies. I want my space. Back the hell away from me before I lay hands on ya. And trust I'm within my rights to rip yo ass to pieces."

"You are so bitter," Kyora sourly hissed. "Two months? You're angry over two months? It didn't even matter then."

Ryuukotsesui kept his mouth shut and eyes averted to the other side of the restaurant.

"I only did what was best at the time. You can't fault me for being unsure." Kyora sighed heavily, both his hands cupping his stomach. "Like I'm sure now. I don't want to get married with this behind me. It seems the best time as any to clear things between us and leave Scott free."

When Kyora looked up Ryuukotsesui's eyes pierced him deep. "The fuck is you playing at Ky? You want my forgiveness so you can go off and get married to another man? Hell no, I ain't the Pope."

"I'm pregnant with his child Ryuu. I want a new life, a better one. You're only angry because you couldn't provide for me the way he can."

"Because I didn't have a fucking million dollar account? Because I couldn't afford all the expensive shit you wanted? Sesshomaru _can have_ that drama. If you wanted to leave me that was fine, you didn't have to keep my ring." Ryuukotsesui's voice croaked against his will. "Two months. Kyora two fuckin' months? You could've taken out your bitch fits on me. If you were so unhappy you could've left . . . but nah, you take it out on our daughter before she can even see sunshine."

"I got rid of a burden I refused to keep," Said Kyora. "She would've only been a problem and you barely had a way of providing for us let alone a baby."

"I would've found a job! You were too damn impatient to wait until my next pay check!" Ryuukotsesui shook his head and laughed bitterly. "You know what I ain't gonna do this shit with you. I'm gone," He turned to walk away.

Kyora caught him by his wrist, drawing eyes on their already tensing conversation, "Don't say any—"

"You ain't even gotta worry sweetheart," Ryuukotsesui snatched his hand away and kept walking. "You'll do it to yourself." He stopped and looked over his shoulder with the meanest, cruelest glare. "Sesshomaru will learn in, hmm, about two months, that when you get pissed everybody suffers. Even the innocent ones."

With that said between them Ryuukotsesui swore from this day forward not to put himself through that life ever again. He was moving on with his life and protecting all of those in it. Inuyasha, Zaya and if things worked out, his new lover, none of them would suffer the way Ayame did.

His baby girl . . . she never even got to see her father's face.

* * *

**TBC: I know it seems jumbled but believe me all of this is interconnected in some way. **


	13. Reactions

**Reactions**

* * *

Friends. Being friends was cool. Being friends was what he could deal with. A lot of ex-couples discovered this as the best route to take after a nasty break up. But what Inuyasha could barely stomach was the sight of his dreamland diva literally suction cupped to Sesshomaru's body. It was stomach churning.

The amount of tension at the table was stifling. Inuyasha spared several glances from side to side and a few times over at the children's table just for something to look at. Focusing on the here and now was terminally damaging to his brain.

Everyone chose to switch to a location closer toward the back of Roscoe's to accommodate the additional party. As soon as Zaya caught sight of Kagome, Hakudoshi and Miroku she was good as done with Inuyasha and Ryuukotsesui. The children's table was only a couple of feet away, Miroku, Zaya and Kagome in booster seats and Hakudoshi the only big boy.

The adults settled down in a large slid in booth, four adults in chairs and four in the booth and Kyora making a show of sitting in Sesshomaru's lap. Inuyasha's eyebrows disappeared in his hairline when their meals came and this red haired Diva started feeding Sesshomaru from his plate. A hefty cube of waffle, bacon, and sausage was collected on the edge of his fork, soaked in maple syrup.

"Here dearest, have some of mine. I cut it myself."

"Since he sure as hell can't cook worth shit," Kagura mumbled before stuffing her mouth.

Naraku gave her dap under the table. He'd been quiet most of the time since Ryuukotsesui and Inuyasha were invited to dine with them. But that was more towards social awkwardness and not knowing what to say to someone you haven't seen in ages. Here and there, he'd look up at Inuyasha and think. The hanyou didn't look so much different from when they were in school. He'd buffed out some, gotten leaner, but had just enough baby weight added in all the right places.

Overall he looked good.

And, his attitude mellowed out some.

Yeah, that was probably what Naraku noticed above all else. Inuyasha's maturity level grew from that robust, rowdy ass big mouth to someone more subtle.

Inuyasha sighed audibly on purpose, drawing several red eyes at once. He ducked his head down to keep the scowl at bay to save the eye rolling for himself. Not that he was jealous, because he was a grown ass fucking man, but what the hell was going through Sesshomaru's mind when he hooked up with this fairy? The red haired guy or gal or whatever the hell it was, giggling's sounded like a pack of cracked glass, and his red eyes shun bright as nail polish with too much lusty possessiveness than Inuyasha ever had. Envy rose and fell quickly in Inuyasha's chest but he didn't want to go there so he gave himself a mental slap to do away with the dark thoughts.

"So Yash' it's, uh, been a minute, yeah? Whatchu been up too these days?" That was Naraku, shamelessly trying his best to break the iceberg lunged on top of the table.

"I work at the police department."

"Word?" Naraku grinned like his birthday just came. "Look, I just got this ticket about a week ago—"

"Ain't a damn thing I can do bud," Inuyasha stuck a cube of waffle in his mouth, before glancing up with a tiny smile. "Ya should've said something sooner. Three days max."

"Aw shit."

"Not anymore, the shit's computerized now. You got an hour." Ryuukotsesui butted in sharply. "'Sides you ain't supposed to get rid folks of tickets anyway. If ya got it, it's with purpose. Learn from your mistakes. It ain't like you can't afford."

The tension was reintroduced tenfold without the dragon's knowledge. Naraku opened his mouth, "Now hold up—" and Koga politely shut it with a strip of chicken and a glare in his blue eyes. Kagura cocked an eyebrow like she was going to say something too but thought better of it. Kyora continued to be play stupid, laughs raking silver nails down the hanyou's and the dragon's spines.

The red haired dragon tsked his lips, "RuPaul lookin' motherfucker."

Inuyasha made the mistake of looking up. When Kyora glanced in his direction he choked to stifle a laugh. He heard what his friend said and couldn't deny it. It was true. This demon was beyond artificial, just drop dead gorgeous but there wasn't an ounce of masculinity in there. His hair was long and red as blood, softly slanted red eyes, red lips too? Shit. His body had to be made of play dough because Inuyasha had never seen anyone so flawless, so damn perfect.

And it made him sick to his stomach.

Inuyasha elbowed his friend in the ribs, beside the table cloth and caught his eye, "You're an idiot."

"Oh shit, you heard me?"

Inuyasha bumped his shoulder. "Sure did stupid. You aint' exactly low key. I could hear ya from Jersey."

Ryuukotsesui shrugged. "Shit's true. Ya seen him? That's my _mama'_s lipstick babe. She wore that same color." They shared a chuckle. "I dunno what ole dude was thinkin'. He don't even seem his type."

That's what Inuyasha wanted to know too. Maybe they'd been dating a couple of years, and maybe they spent time together, but Inuyasha and Sesshomaru invested a third of their lives together. Where was the comparison? Inuyasha knew nearly all of Sesshomaru's shameful stories, all of the moments he cried, he was there when Grandpa Totosai died when they were teenagers. Inuyasha can bet this guy wasn't as sweet to Grandma Kaede like he'd been.

That made Inuyasha wonder too. How much did this thing know about Sesshomaru? Did he know that Sesshomaru sleep on his left side when he had nightmares and on his right when he couldn't get good sleep? Did he know his favorite cartoon was the Goofy Movie? Sesshomaru could recite the movie down to the Eye to Eye Song. What about Sesshomaru refusing to sleep with the lights off when he wasn't home? Did he know Sesshomaru had a terribly low tolerance for grapes? Did he know Sesshomaru preferred home cooked meals versus fast food? Did he know all of Sesshomaru's allergens because the guy had nearly a dozen? His favorite colors, his favorite TV shows, his favorite movies, hell did he know Sesshomaru had a secret fetish for Harry Potter?

When the waitress came to their table with plates of mixed hash browns and scrambled eggs, everyone started to dig in except Inuyasha. His brow was creased worriedly when Kyora started pouring ketchup all over Sesshomaru's hash browns and sopping his eggs in pecan syrup. It wasn't his business. He hadn't planned to interfere but his concern grew when Sesshomaru flinched back from the load of ketchup levitating to his mouth.

_He wasn't going to say shit either, the stupid fool_. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and reached out gently to stop Kyora's fork, "Don't. Sesshomaru can't eat ketchup."

Kyora looked at the hand on his elbow like it suddenly sprouted fungus, "Excuse me? Do you mind?"

Inuyasha's face scrunched into a fast scowl, "I do mind 'cause you're about to lay 'em out." Inuyasha none too gently took the fork away and slapped it on the table. "Indigo," he called to the waitress.

A young blue haired, grey eyed demon came to the table, "Yes sir?"

"Could you order another hash brown with extra tomato, extra onions, lite cheese, a dash of green peppers, and" Inuyasha glanced at Sesshomaru's plate without thinking. "Give 'em some new scrambled eggs too. A lil' bit runny."

"Yes sir." The girl scurried off to do the order.

Once again Inuyasha wasn't thinking when he reached out to steal the plate of spoiled breakfast and placed it on a nearby table. When he turned around, all eyes were on him. Koga, Midoriko, Kagura and Naraku all had these mile wide grins, Ryuukotsesui sat curious as a newborn toddler about what just happened and Kyora and Muso were left fuming. Sesshomaru's cheeks were dusted pink. "What?" Inuyasha finally snapped. "'S rude to stare."

"It's also rude to butt into someone else's business," Kyora said. He suddenly sighed with emphasized pity and landed his narrow eyes on Inuyasha's face. "Listen dear, please take no offense to this but I'm Sesshomaru's fiancée. I think I'd know what was and wasn't good for him. You're only the baby father."

Inuyasha leaned back, head crooked to the side, mouth slightly parted, "I doubt that."

"How so?"

Sesshomaru cleared his throat to interrupt the fuss, "Babe it's no big deal."

"No I think it his. Your baby's daddy assumes to know so much more than me. I'd love an explanation," Kyora made show of getting comfortable in Sesshomaru's lap as he perched his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on the back of his knuckles. "Do tell everyone how you allowed your jealousy to interrupt a loving moment."

"Babe—"

"No really, I want to hear this. Please elaborate."

"Oh damn, he asked for this," grumbled Koga.

Oh so it's like that? And who was Inuyasha to back down from challenge? The hanyou pushed his plate to the side and crossed his arms on the table, a sickly sweet smile on his face, "Ya know what baby? I can't be jealous of you. I pity you. I've been there and done that—

"Hold up now—" Sesshomaru spoke up.

But Inuyasha kept on talking, "—How can you say you're his fiancée when you don't know he's allergic to ketchup," Inuyasha sniffled, shitty grin plastered on his face. "That's some Oxygen: Snap shit don't ya think?"

Ryuukotsesui smugly smirked, mumbling under his breath, "Get it baby boy."

Naraku flat out laughed and so did Kagura. "Guess you don't know as much as ya thought huh sweetie?" She said.

Kyora leaned away stunned. He cast a wounded look over his shoulder, "Is that true, dearest?"

The side of Sesshomaru's mouth tilted sheepish, "Babe its ok ya didn't know. It was an accident."

"Why didn't you stop me before I fed you? Did you enjoy making me out a fool?"

"Nah, babe chill—"

"I'm ready to go."

"Pfft bye," Koga said. "No harm done here."

"Excuse me?"

"Ya heard me. We'll see ya next lifetime," Koga went back to cutting through his waffles after shooting a wink to Inuyasha.

Kyora caught it, "So you two planned this did you? You're plotting against me to get your little baby-hood-rat-daddy with my Sesshomaru!"

Inuyasha nearly gagged on his sprite. "Do what?" He chuckled humorlessly. "Man, you better raise yo Madonna lookin' ass outta here. You trippin'."

"I don't trip on anything! Sesshomaru I'm ready to go!"

"Then press sweetheart! All that make-up was bleaching my eyes anyway."

Koga laid his head on Naraku's shoulder, biting back every stupid laugh in his throat. Kyora's shoulders shook, fists clenched by his eyes and fangs bared. "How dare you speak to me this way?! I demand an apology!"

"Ok, I'm willin' to be the bigger man." Inuyasha pressed his hands together and opened them out to Kyora. "First I'm gonna apologize to the children for showing my ass but you pushed it. And I'm sorry you don't have enough common sense God gave a mule to know your man's needs. There ya happy?"

"You think this is funny? You want him so bad it kills you to see him with someone else."

"Not really, especially with someone as crazy as you. I outta count my blessings."

"You don't know crazy. I'll show you crazy!" No one saw it coming when it happened. Kyora's hand skated across the table for something and it came glistening from the overhead lights. Ryuukotsesui saw the gleam and reacted, going for the switchblade in his belt. The others backed away when they saw the steak knife, Naraku thrusting his arm automatically to block Koga and Kagura pull Mirodriko behind her back. Inuyasha's breathe quickly accelerated. His hand went down to the side of his hip on impulse but found no gun. He glanced up just as the knife came close.

He vaguely heard Zaya's scream in the background.

It all came to a screeching halt.

Everything.

Kyora's eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape as he followed the pale hand around his wrist and up the arm to the owner it belonged too.

Sesshomaru's mind went through a slideshow of thoughts, eyes flickering through the emotions. The red haze flashed on and off, the marks on his face failing to remain docile. His grip changed from deadly to warningly. "You clearly lost your damn mind. My fucking child is in here. You plan on killin' her daddy right in front her? You tryin' to traumatize my child? Huh?" Sesshomaru yanked him down when he didn't speak. "Answer me!"

Kyora whimpered, the sensations in his hand going numb, "N-no."

"It is time to go. Get your shit and go to the car Kyora—Now!" He barked when Kyora stood there like a deer caught in the sight of shot gun. The phoenix demon jumped out of his skin, to gather his belongings and hurried out the entry way.

Everyone stood silent, amazed and bewildered. Sesshomaru slid his gaze to Inuyasha for a moment, opened his mouth then closed it. He looked at his family, and worriedly glanced at the children's table. Zaya's violet eyes were terrified. He'd failed again. There just wasn't going to be a time when he could have a moment without her seeing the worst side of him. Sesshomaru grabbed his coat and turned to leave without a word.

Inuyasha grabbed his arm, "Sesshomaru—"

"You started this shit," He softly snapped. "You aint' exempt from this either Inuyasha. I'll call ya," Sesshomaru snatched his arm away and kept walking. His mind wasn't screwed in straight and all of it revolved around him thinking of only how his heart lunged in his throat. That helpless pulse washed him all over again. It scared him.

The hanyou stood where he was, hand caught in the air of where Sesshomaru's arm was. He didn't know how to react to what happened. It'd been so quick. The knife, the look of blood and then Sesshomaru.

All too suddenly there was a faint, nasty chill rolling in his veins. Inuyasha's shoulders hunched under his neck. He looked, and sure enough there was Muso glaring something wicked. The sick gleam in his eyes read so many things. Inuyasha tore his gaze away just to see the swish of silver hair vanish around the corner. He needed to get out of there. He needed to leave.

"Go home."

Inuyasha froze and relaxed in the same beat as Naraku came to loop his arm around his neck and pulled back. "We know ya didn't mean any harm. None of us like Kyora either. We know who's right for Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha snorted, "It sure as hell ain't me."

"Ya don't know that. He's just pussy whipped is all," When Inuyasha gave him a look, Naraku blinked. "What? You seen ole dude. He sure as hell ain't swinging a pipe in those drawers."

Inuyasha chuckled softly, and saddened, "I'm sorry for everything. I didn't know I caused all that trouble for y'all."

"Yeah well," Naraku blushed a little. "I wasn't all that worried. I figured you either had a good reason or Sesshomaru fucked up his shit. . . I'm just glad ya came back." Silence, then. "So, that means we cool right? Ya know to do stuff together, to hang out . . . go out to do shit."

"I still go to the plays Naraku. They got a ballet coming next mouth if you wanna hang."

"Praise Jesus. I hate doin' shit by myself," Naraku pecked Inuyasha's cheek fast and hurried off before he got punched in the face. "A'ight fam, we out!"

The crew gathered up their things to leave. The other Espadas didn't say anything. Koga gave Inuyasha a light pat on the back, Kagura winked, and her wife waved. Zaya held onto Kagome's hand as long as she was allowed and tried not to cry when the children left. She was safely tucked behind Ryuukotsesui's leg, face buried in his pants leg when Inuyasha felt a calm, cold stir near his waist.

Muso's fingers grazed his hand in an almost feathering motion. "Still soft as a baby's ass." He whispered softly. "Ya gonna let me hit like last time sweetie?" Then he left, mission complete.

Inuyasha's enough body locked up, rattled to the bone. The memories came stampeding with the force of an avalanche. They came fast, came slow, so many from two nights. He couldn't stop the flow. Gushing clips of his razor voice, the stroke of his claws so soft and nurturing, the heat of flesh relaxed and pressed so perfectly close. Inuyasha raked his fingers up and down his arms. Goosebumps rose like heated beads.

"Daddy, I want ice cream." Zaya announced through his foggy brain.

Inuyasha recovered in time to smile, "Not today baby girl. We need to go home."

"Aww but I want ice cweam. P'ease, daddy p'ease?"

"Zaya," That was Ryuukotsesui's gruff tone, stern and firm. "Don't be hard headed. No means no." Zaya pouted and thought better of that too when both adults gave her a dark look. Ryuukotsesui patted her butt to walk ahead of them as he wrapped his arm around Inuyasha's waist. The hanyou laid his head down on his friend's chest, covering half his face in his hoodie. "You alright baby boy?"

"I just wanna go home." Anything was better than staying here. "Mmm'tired." Anything was better than remembering Muso's creepy smile, Sesshomaru's confusion and Inuyasha's own surfacing emotions. Anything was better.

Inuyasha kept his face hidden.

Ryuukotsesui felt his phone vibrate twice, indicating some text messages.

One from a Florida area code, he recognized right away. His face melted into a warm smile as he slid his thumb across and red the message.

Bank: _Coming home next month for the holidays. I can't wait to see you. _

Ryuu: _I can't wait either. I'm gonna have the whole week planned for the two of us._

Bank: _. . . did you want to meet my family? I want you to meet them._

Ryuu: _Anything to put a smile on that pretty face._

Bank: _Lol you're sweet._

Ryuu: _Only for you._

Inuyasha had been right. Ryuukotsesui had given it some thought and decided to ask for his chat mate's name. They'd share only first names and no more. Bankotsu, a lovely name for his sexy companion. They were getting tight and if things worked out Ryuukotsesui planned on getting it right.

The second text message came from an unfamiliar number.

Ryuukotsesui squinted his eyes. It was local. He pressed down to open it and paled when it opened.

_I want to talk to you about Ayame. Give me a call back at this number._

_Kyora._

* * *

**TBC: This is one of the shortest updates I've ever done. Shit. . . this flu sucks. But this chapter helps towards a faster update.**


	14. Plans

**Author's Rant: **If there are some mistakes I'm sorry. I'll proofread later but I'm tired as hell. Enjoy!

* * *

**Plans**

* * *

_You got five minutes to say your piece. After that, stay the hell out of my life. _

_I understand. Thank you. _

Ryuukotsesui read the text exchange for the tenth time and still didn't feel any less stupid then he did when he sent it. It was a little after eight in the morning. The skies were colored a dull grey after last night's rain and the smell of fresh grass floated sweetly in the air. Atlanta was unusually calm from the hustle and rush on the streets. No stray calls, no false alarms, no domestics, not anything. He should've been thrilled for the city's once-in-a-life-time quietness, but here he was contemplating on whether he'd lost his mind or if this entire rendezvous was worth it.

He swore before Jesus on the cross, if this was some crazy scheme Kyora was trying by using their daughter's name, so help him, Ryuukotsesui was committing first degree murder. What the hell could Kyora want to talk about concerning Ayame? His baby girl was gone, bless her soul. Just let her rest in peace.

Ryuukotsesui spied a couple out of his 2214 Lincoln marked cruiser. A couple of young mothers were carting three rug rats, all toddlers and wild as hell. A soft smile parted his lips as he thought over his chances of getting that picture-perfect life someday. If things went right he hoped to start off fresh, do it right and end up with another lover. He could see that for himself and Bankotsu—maybe, hopefully—with a couple of red haired children with green eyes and maybe one or two with Bankotsu's face.

Yeah that's what he should've done. Thinking about Bankotsu always brightened his spirits. Too man the boy was busy today otherwise, Ryuu could spend some time chatting it up with him.

The dragon demon turned the knob on his radio to the R&B station to listen to some familiar beats by Anita Baker. Sweet Love started blossoming from the speakers like a dose of warm brandy. "Sing it baby," he hummed, reclining back in his seat. This was going to be his Bankotsu's song for sure.

_No stronger love in this world  
Oh, baby no, you're my man, I'm your girl  
I'll never go, wait and see, can't be wrong  
Don't you know this is where you belong_

_Sweet this dream how lovely baby_  
_Stay right here, never fear_  
_I will be all that you need_  
_Never leave, 'cause baby, I believe_

_In this love sweet love  
Hear me calling out you name  
I feel no shame I'm in love sweet love  
Don't you ever go away  
It will always be this way_

Oh no no no no

Ryuukotsesui rolled his head, eyes clinched in sweet bliss when a gentle knock rapped against his window. His right hand stayed on the clip of his nine and didn't lessen even when he saw it was Kyora standing outside. Just like seeing a fat man wearing speedos, Ryuukotsesui's mood was instantly destroyed. He turned off his car and opened the door.

Kyora was already walking a bench in the park, wearing a simple grey cashmere sweater and black corduroy pants that gave his skin an unnecessary glow and his hair a sharp brightness. Large black sunglasses sat neatly on the tip of his nose, as though the sun was shining directly on him. Looking at the phoenix demon now, Ryuukotsesui could kick himself for not realizing how much of a mistake it was to marry this man.

"Your five minutes started when I got out the car," The dragon roughly said when he approached, folding his thick arms.

Kyora kept his cool; eyes focused straight ahead and patted his right hand beside him. "Do I disgust you so much that you won't sit with me?"

"Four minutes."

Kyora sighed, "Alright, where should I begin?"

"With my daughter."

"_Our_ daughter."

Ryuukotsesui's fists wound tight beneath his armpits as he paced from one end of the sidewalk to the next. Anything to keep him from wrapping his hands around this bastard's throat, "The last I fuckin' checked she wasn't our daughter when you had the doctors rip her out. Three damn minutes and a prayer, Kyora. Do I look like somebody to play with?!"

All of Kyora's red hair peeled away from his face, just so some of the morning's glow could catch the left side of his face. Ryuukotsesui remembered that trick clear as yesterday. The phoenix demon always pulled that look when he was afraid or nervous, wanting sympathy. Tough mother's cookies, cause he wasn't getting any from Ryuukotsesui.

"I need your help," Kyora started slowly. "My, my relationship with Sesshomaru's become rocky. I think it has something to do with his baby father's."

Ryuukotsesui's back straightened at once, and quickly vanished in the same moment.

"We haven't spoken in a few days," Kyora continued as if Ryuukotsesui's silence permitted it. "He refuses to take my calls, he hasn't asked me once about our baby and . . . I think he may be falling back in love with _that hanyou_."

_That hanyou_ had so much venom wrapped around it, Ryuukotsesui was surprised miasma wasn't leaking through Kyora's teeth. "My shift's over in about a few hours. Ya' either make your point or I'm out."

"I want you to help me save my relationship. Keep your friend away from Sesshomaru, at least until our marriage comes in November."

Ryuukotsesui barked the ugliest laugh, "You want me to do what? Have you lost your damn mind? You can't stop them from talking. They have a child together," Ryuukotsesui had a good hearty laugh. "Man, let me roll up outta here before these folks think I'm crazy." Kyora had some nerve to come up to him saying some shit like that. As if he'd ruin his best friend's life for the sake of his ass.

"Please Ryuu!" Kyora grabbed his arm just as the dragon stepped down from the side away and barely flinched when Ryuukotsesui snatched away. "This is important to me. After all our years together, don't you care even the slightest about my happiness?"

"Kyora," Ryuukotsesui reached inside his breast pocket to slip on his sunglasses. "As far as I'm concerned you can jump off the side of the bridge with the most water. I ain't playing your flunky and I'd advise you keep away from Inuyasha or Sesshomaru ain't gonna be the only you're scared of. You don't want these problems, sweetheart."

Ryuukotsesui tried once more to walk to his car but Kyora rounded him, arms spread wide and his lips set in a determined line, "I won't let you go until you hear me out."

"And I ain't beyond hitting a pregnant man, so I suggest you move."

"Ryuu please—"

"Don't call me that! You lost that privilege when you took my child!" Ryuukotsesui tried again and again to go around Kyora without touching him, each attempting failing and him becoming more and more frustrated. "Dammit move!"

"Not until you listen to me!"

"I've heard enough!"

Kyora scrambled around in his pocket for something and slammed it flat against Ryuukotsesui's chest.

For all of a moment, Ryuukotsesui debated on ripping apart whatever was thrown, punching Kyora in the face or simply shoving him to the side and leaving. However the logical part of him, the part trained to deal with code 33s, settled down and snatched the sheet away, purposely nicking Kyora's palm with his nails.

The sheet was a square sheet of something, something laminated and black. Puzzled, Ryuukotsesui flipped the picture around and stared.

His breath caught and stayed trapped in his throat.

There in the picture was a small little girl. Absolutely beautiful with sparkling green eyes, a head overflowing with blood red hair and a face like an angel. She couldn't have been no more then . . . a few years old. "Oh God," Ryuukotsesui didn't want to think . . . it couldn't be possible. . . Kyora had told him . . . He'd gotten the call when it happened . . . "Is this her?" His voice wavered.

Kyora snatched it back before Ryuukotsesui could rapture in the image . . . before he could remember the face. "Ayame's not here. I'll let you see her but only if you help me. I want that hanyou gone. Do what you must, I don't care. Keep your friend away until the wedding. That's all I ask of you. When I'm wed, you may see her, keep her, do as you want—" Kyora hadn't expected anything other than an obedient nod or verbal agreement.

But what he got was Ryuukotsesui's fingers coiled around his skinny throat like the embrace of a python. "You low down motherfucka!" A demonic voice hissed. "You ain't worth shit Kyora. My daughter's alive? She's been here all this time and you fuckin' kept her from me? I swear I'ma kill you, I swear it!" Ryuukotsesui squeezed hard. The tiny gasps Kyora spouted were undeserved. This was low, so damn low. All this time, all these years, his little baby was alive. She was ok and somewhere in the world she was being raised by someone else. Ryuukotsesui wanted all the tears and regret he felt to constrict the very air from Kyora's lungs, to steal away every single breath he took until none came.

And then, he saw something that sickened him to his stomach.

A gleam of knowing glittering in Kyora's red eyes. Like the snap of a whip Ryuukotsesui stepped back, hands dropping like lead hammers. He wouldn't give the asshole the satisfaction. Kyora's sick ass wanted Ryuukotsesui to lose control and possibly cause any kind of hurt to him. No matter what he did, he was tangled in this web now. Kyora was the spider, with a well woven plan.

And if Ryuukotsesui wanted to see his daughter, he had no choice but to play.

For the time being. . . Kyora must've really forgotten who was dealing with. "What I gotta do?"

* * *

Inuyasha was scheduled to get back on the road in a couple of days. In the meantime, he hadn't heard word from Sesshomaru since they left the restaurant. Zaya hadn't gotten a visit from him either. The entire deal was scarcely becoming moot. When Inuyasha returned to work, he and Sesshomaru were going to have to dip and dodge all sorts of ways just to get their schedules to fit. Didn't the fool realize that?

No, because knowing him, he was probably somewhere off sulking.

"Daddy, I want _down_. P'easssssse!"

"No," Inuyasha sharply said from the kitchen counter, and then looked hard at Zaya until she sank back in the chair. Her lip stuck out, but Inuyasha couldn't help that. "You got another five minutes."

"But I wanna p'ay," Zaya whined, and kicked with her heels against her high chair over and over.

"Then next time, do as I say and stop when I tell you too," Inuyasha said, and cutting through the plastic of some ground beef. He cast a glance at the wall clock. She had about another five minutes to go as punishment for running in the house and nearly getting hurt. Inuyasha popped her twice and put her in time out. Zaya's red rimmed eyes stared mournfully at the back of Inuyasha's head and hiccupped.

"I sorry Daddy," Zaya whimpered twittering her fingers together. "You wuv me?"

"Of course I do baby girl. Daddy loves you to death," Inuyasha looked over his shoulder, scowling firmly in place. "That's why you're sitting in timeout. You gotta learn that doin' bad things is going to earn you some punishment. You understand?"

Zaya meekly nodded and sighed longingly at the scattered field of toys on the floor. "Daddy?"

"Yes baby?"

"Whatcha cookin'?"

"Spaghetti."

Zaya's face scrunched up, "Ick, I don't want s'getti. I want peanut butter and jelly sammiches."

"You ate that for lunch lil girl," Inuyasha chuckled.

"I want them," Zaya demanded softly, eyes trained on the floor. "I want juice too."

Now that, Inuyasha did get for her after washing his hands of the beef residue. He poured half a cup of apple juice and placed it on her little table. Zaya was quiet way beyond her timeout time, humming to herself and twitching her ears every time she saw Inuyasha do his.

It was a quarter to six when Inuyasha felt his cellphone buzz in his pocket, playing Sweet Thing by Chaka Khan. Inuyasha had two people saved under that phone. One of them wasn't due off work for another hour. So that left Sesshomaru.

Sure enough the dog demon's name flashed on the screen, over and over. Inuyasha collected himself, cleared his throat and slid the answer key across the screen, "Yo."

"Whatcha' doin'?"

Inuyasha pulled the phone back like it grew another head, "I'm sorry, that ain't any of your business."

Sesshomaru's sigh levitated off the phone and into Inuyasha's head like the bass from a Drake song, "Ok that was my mistake. Excuse me . . . do ya mind if I come over?"

Inuyasha cleared his throat against the shower of butterflies tap dancing against his stomach, "Yeah, but ain't cha' mad at me?"

Silence followed, then, "Yeah I am, but I wanna see my daughter if that's alright."

_Of course that's why he wants to come, stupid_. "Cool, I'm almost done cookin' anyway so just come. Don't take long because she's gotta be in bed by seven."

"You want me to bring anything?"

Inuyasha thought about it, "Bring some hot sauce."

Another one of Sesshomaru's sinful laughs floated in, "You must be cookin' spaghetti."

"How'd you know?"

"'Cause you only eat hot sauce on spaghetti. So I might need to buy a large bottle."

"Shut up," Inuyasha rolled his eyes, switching the phone to the other side. "Don't act like you know me."

"I betcha two plates of spaghetti, I can guess what you're doin'."

Inuyasha could contain his smile anymore. It faded into a smaller, warmer curve of his lips as memories played back from long ago. Back when he and Sesshomaru were teenagers, just getting into the swing of dating they played a game like this. Either he or Sesshomaru would bet three kisses on what the other person was thinking or doing while they talked over the phone. Every time they played, it ended up being a draw.

They knew each other that well. Though Inuyasha doubted Sesshomaru remembered. "Try me. What am I doin' now?"

"Lemme think," Sesshomaru's mouth clicked over the receiver several times before he said. "You're in the kitchen, probably leanin' against the counter, with a pout and I'm thinkin' you got your arms crossed."

Bingo. Dead on point. Damn he was good, "Alright respect, respect," Chuckled Inuyasha. "Ok what am I doin' now?"

Sesshomaru didn't say anything at first, then, "I thought you were supposed to ask what I'm thinkin'."

Oh . . . so _he did_ remember. "Nope, I'm changin' the rules."

"Hell naw, it doesn't work like that."

"It does today."

"Fine," Laughed Sesshomaru. "Make it three plates of spaghetti. You're probably being an ass right now and doin' the same thing. In the kitchen, hip on the counter, I know you're smilin' this time and your hands are in your pockets. Tell me I'm wrong."

Cocky lil' fuck. Inuyasha rolled his eyes to the ceiling, smile wide as ever. "You got two plates ready for ya. Now we got one more. What am I thinkin' about?"

No reply. The phone got so quiet Inuyasha checked twice to make sure he hadn't accidentally hung up in Sesshomaru's face or vice versa. "You really want me to answer that one?" Sesshomaru said after a full two minutes of silence.

Inuyasha swallowed something like a block of nerves down to the tips of his toes and wondered if he really wanted to know if Sesshomaru could figure out what his thoughts were. "If you can," his voice wasn't nearly as strong as it should've been.

A pregnant pause followed by the time Sesshomaru cleared his throat and started off slow, and gentle, "You were thinkin' about that time when we played this last, 'cept we played for kisses. We were at my granddaddy's house with Naraku and Koga. I took you to my room and I stayed outside to call you. I think I loss that time. . . I owed you three kisses."

He _did_ remember.

"Inuyasha."

"Hm?"

"Was I right?"

Inuyasha couldn't speak passed the astonishment clogging his throat and the dusty cloud of regret working its way up. It was so hard. Inuyasha clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

"Daddy?"

A small tug dragged Inuyasha's eyes down. Zaya was clinging to his legs, eyes big and concerned. "I'm fine baby girl." He murmured. "Go find a pretty dress. Prince is comin'."

Zaya gasped, all the concern becoming a blossom of cheer, "Prince? Yay Prince is comin'! Daddy make p'etty! Make me p'etty daddy!" She yelled and tugged and tugged and yelled.

Inuyasha chuckled and returned his attention to the phone, "Sesshomaru—"

"I'm outside, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha locked up from his ankles to his neck. Sesshomaru got here sooner than Inuyasha expected. Or was it that he wasn't quite prepared to see Sesshomaru. There was something inside making those damn butterflies act a donkey in his stomach. Shit. "Baby girl, you gonna have to deal with what you're wearin'. Prince is outside."

"Dadddddddy nooooo," Zaya whined, patting her Dumbo overalls.

"Yes baby girl." Inuyasha turned the burners down on the stove to low burn for the noodles and sauce to cook. He double checked the sauce's taste and could've kicked himself for not remembering how he made it taste good. Oh well.

He shook his head, dusted his t-shirt free of lint and made sure his zipper was up on his black jeans before walking to the door. Zaya was quick to run into the back of her daddy's legs and climbed up his legs, up his back and hid under his hair, claws locked firmly in his shirt. A look in the side mirror gave Inuyasha the appearance of a hunchback and two extra ears peeking from the middle of his hair.

Inuyasha opened the door and imagined he probably looked under dress compared to Sesshomaru's attire. He was decked out in Armani everything from head to toe: a bright blue slub eagle polo, some white roll up utility pants, a black leather trucker jacket and a pair of jet black boots. He looked so damn good and rugged like a lean runner. The swag hovering around him was just crazy.

"Hey," Sesshomaru said.

"Hey yourself," Inuyasha stepped back to let him in, his nose tingling with the scent of Burberry whiffing off his guest's body. Looked good and smells good. Damn, he was deadly. "The food's not ready yet. It'll be about fifteen minutes. You wanna watch TV or use the bathroom?"

"Naw I'm cool. I got ya somethin'." Sesshomaru pulled out something hidden in his jacket. A long stem red rose and a chocolate brown teddy bear. "The rose is for you. The teddy's for Zaya."

"Teddy?" Inuyasha's hair suddenly spouted.

Sesshomaru jerked his head to the side, confused. When Inuyasha motioned his thumb behind him and mouthed '_she's on my back'_ Sesshomaru quickly caught on and threw a wink. "Oh dang, now who am I gonna give this big ole teddy too?"

A huff and fluffy bump of white hair flung to the side to reveal Zaya's head, body still concealed in her father's threads. "Me!"

"Who said that?" Sesshomaru gasped, hooding his palm over his eyes and dramatically searching the room. "I thought I heard my pumpkin, but I don't see her. Guess I gotta take it back to the store."

"NO!" Zaya squealed and unclutching her daddy's shirt and Inuyasha steadied her with a back curl of his arm to keep her from following. Zaya squirmed to get down then stayed glued to the back of his legs. She pushed him to move forward, using him as a shield. Zaya smiled at Sesshomaru, shyly. "I want teddy."

"You want teddy, please?" Inuyasha sternly corrected.

Zaya pouted, then repeated, "I want teddy, p'ease."

Instead of the expected response, all Inuyasha heard was a small sigh and shift from Sesshomaru. When Inuyasha turned to see why, he saw the seven foot football player actually nervous to speak again. If Inuyasha had a camera he'd want to save this image forever. A grown man scared of a child. But he guess he could understand why.

The last few times between father and daughter haven't been as fun loving as they should've been. It was about time to rekindle that flame. Inuyasha kneeled down to his right knee, easing Zaya around to whisper in her ear. She blinked her violet eyes, frowned, and giggled before sparing Sesshomaru a few glances.

When Inuyasha finished, she nodded and ran up to tug on Sesshomaru's pants leg until he dropped to her level.

"Um," Zaya rocked back and forth on her heels, snuck a glance at Inuyasha then leaned in and said, "Prince p'ay tea time?"

"You wanna play tea party? I, uh," Sesshomaru looked up at Inuyasha with a tiny help me message in his eyes. Inuyasha shrugged and left to go in the kitchen to finish cooking, leaving his ex and daughter to figure out things from there.

He hoped it'd be an interesting way to rebuild the crumbled blocks. It should be fun.

For Zaya anyway.

* * *

"Poff, poff, poff, aww you so p'etty."

He was going to kill him. Lord help him, Sesshomaru planned to make Inuyasha suffer something slow and painful. He should've known something was when the hanyou abruptly made a quick escape into the kitchen.

"Stop movin' Prince!"

"Sorry baby girl," Sesshomaru readjusted himself on the floor after feeling his left leg get numb and remained still for the rest of the fashion session with his daughter. They'd moved to the middle of the living room to play tea time. Zaya turned out to be as bossy as her maternal father. She ordered Sesshomaru to go to her bedroom and fetch her plastic yellow picnic table, her two red and blue chairs and the entire plastic tea set.

That was supposed to be the end of it, but there ended up being a cosmetic set for little girls, some lip gloss, a compact case for baby powder, rainbow eye shadow and sugar flavored lip stick. Sesshomaru already got messed with his Russian markings. Now he was being painted from the neck up with all sorts of war paint.

Zaya stood between his crossed legs, lips balled tight and brow pinched tight with concentration as she applied a third coat of lip stick over Sesshomaru's eyes. She popped her lips, tilted her head, then frowned, "No." She snorted and went to get a new kind of color.

Sesshomaru sighed, "Baby girl, when we gonna drink tea?"

"Prince gotta be p'etty first," Zaya said simply. She left and came back with a white tray of primal paints and went to covering his face in red, blues, and yellows. She finished dapping some crooked spots here and there, a couple of open stars and lapped on a few stripes. "Hmmm," she hummed and nodded. "You p'etty now."

'_Thank God_,' Sesshomaru mentally praised. He couldn't take another second of this.

"Dinner's ready ladies," Inuyasha announced, ducking out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. "Come eat or go to sleep."

"Daddy look at Prince. Ain't he p'etty?"

Inuyasha, who failure miserably to hide his grin, nodded as he flipped the towel over his shoulder, "Well that ain't the finest lookin' thing I've ever seen? You did good baby girl. He looks just like a princess."

A nasty glare turned Sesshomaru's clown face even uglier, "Don't even play me like that, _Bubble Booty_."

"Bubble Booty?"

"Zaya go pick up your toys," Inuyasha ordered in a hurry.

"Daddy who's Bubble Booty?"

"What did I say lil' girl?!"

Zaya snapped to attention and went about gathering as many toys her chubby arms could hold and ran off to her room.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, Inuyasha stomped over and threw the wet rag in Sesshomaru's face, "Act your age, not your shoe size Sesshomaru. That was, what, six years ago?"

"I remember when it was. Don't blame me. Blame Hoshiyomi after you did the tootsie roll at Nipsey's Booty jiggling everywhere."

"Whatever."

Sesshomaru scrubbed his face clean the best he could and pulled the rag back to see a hideous ninja mask glaring at him. "You set me up. That's low. You knew she was gonna use my face for a canvas."

"Huh uh, yeah, what's this for?"

"What's what for?"

"This," Inuyasha pulled the red rose from where it laid on the table.

"Oh, that," Sesshomaru deemed his face a done deal and dropped it on the floor. "I didn't thank you."

Inuyasha flipped the rose from side to side, "For?"

Sesshomaru paused. The rose tipped the side of Inuyasha's temple in a way that complimented the tan glow of his skin. Red did wonders on this man's skin, "Our baby, you know how long I've wanted kids. It wasn't the traditional marriage and all that jazz, but hey, I'm happy. She's perfect. Everything I could've wanted," Sesshomaru paused, after realizing he was rambling and settled with just saying, "I appreciate how you raised her and I respect you for doin' it on your own."

"Oh," Inuyasha twirled the rose between his fingers, his eyes straying to the floor sort of shyly. "You ain't gotta thank me for that. I love her to death. What man wouldn't wanna do the right thing?"

Sesshomaru hardly thought so. It took a strong man to own up to acknowledging his children. It took someone brave to raise them on his own. It shouldn't have taken him this long to show his gratitude, but he'd been too caught up in his own frustrations to fully comprehend Inuyasha's struggles.

Struggles he's faced alone for nearly five years. Sesshomaru didn't want him facing those woes by himself anymore. Not when he had him and the entire Espada family there to support him every step of the way.

Sesshomaru pinched Inuyasha's chin up to face him, presenting a gentle smile, "You didn't have to have her Inuyasha. You didn't know if she was mine or whoever the motherfucka was who raped you," Sesshomaru kept his grip strong when Inuyasha tried to bow his head. "Don't do that. Keep your head up. You too beautiful to look at the ground."

Seeing all those clear, warm emotions swimming in his eyes so openly was too much for Inuyasha to see. He finally shook his chin free with a shaky smile, "Come on, corny ass. It's time to eat." He left Sesshomaru behind in the living room, staring after him. He could feel his eyes burning deep in his back and refused to acknowledge the looks definition.

Or maybe it was a definition he wanted it to be.

Sesshomaru quietly stood in the living room, stunned at what just happened and that he'd nearly gone off the deep in just then.

Damn he was tripping. He had no business doing what he'd just did. The whole rose thing had been strictly for showing his appreciation, not to go off on some dry ass speech about Inuyasha, Zaya and just, damn, yeah he was being stupid.

Dinner passed on with a light aired atmosphere. Zaya kept up most of the conversation, switching from man to man talking about her friends at day care, asking Sesshomaru about Hakudoshi, Kagome and Miroku and then asking Inuyasha when she could see them again. Inuyasha fixed her a hot dog and curly fries while he and Sesshomaru finished off four plates of spaghetti each. As expected, Inuyasha smothered the top half of each serving with some Louisiana Hot Sauce and a dash of cheddar cheese.

It was soon time to put Zaya to bed after she failed to hide her third yawn for the evening. "I'll be back," Inuyasha said, picking up Zaya and taking her to the back to bath.

"Need any help?" Sesshomaru stood too, turning off the Sesame Street video.

"Just get her some pajamas. Her blue footies are in the second drawer."

"Alright."

All of the time it took Sesshomaru to find her clothes, Inuyasha had washed her hair, dried her off and splashed baby powder on her bottom. They dressed her, kissed her good night, and then retired to the living room.

Once again, left to just stand and stare at one another.

Inuyasha rubbed behind his neck, thinking and eyes wandering around everywhere expect where Sesshomaru stood. "You want something to drink?"

"Naw, I'm cool."

So much for the excuse to stick around a little longer, "Guess you better head out then."

"I should," Sesshomaru said. "But I wanna chat a lil' bit." He turned on his heel, aiming straight for the couch.

Inuyasha hesitated.

"Well?"

"Don't rush me."

"Then sit down."

"I will when I feel like it," Inuyasha took the cushion closet to the hall, incase Zaya called for him. He crossed his legs Indian style on the couch and stared a blank space on the wall. He zoned out for about three minutes as the silence dulled the awkwardness in the room. Inuyasha grew so used to the quiet he hadn't heard what Sesshomaru said until he asked him to repeat himself.

"I said, I haven't talk to Kyora in about a week."

Oh. Inuyasha frowned, "Why not?"

Sesshomaru gave a slight shrugged, "I'm still pissed at him for what he did. I cussed the shit outta him but I couldn't stay around him. So I left to get some space before I said something I'd regret."

Inuyasha cocked his eyebrow up, "Why don't cha' just talk it out?"

"'Cause I'm not ready to look at him. He scared the hell outta Zaya. I can't forget the way she looked when she thought he was gonna hurt you," Sesshomaru snorted. "He was lucky I didn't beat his ass."

"Tsk, maybe you should've."

"Say what?"

"You heard me. You should've beaten his feminine ass into submission."

Sesshomaru leaned back, then jerked his head to the side, "That ain't friendly advice."

"That's about as wise as it's gonna get from me. I don't like her—him—it—she, that thing you call a fiancée."

"What," Sesshomaru drawled playfully. "You jealous Lil' Yasha?"

"Man, pu-lease. Don't _even _flatter yourself," Inuyasha chuckled, settling deeper into the couch. "You must've forgot who I am."

"I remember you being somebody who couldn't stand seeing anyone look at me."

"Whatever."

"Say I'm wrong."

"You're wrong and dead wrong at that. If anything you're the one who can't stand to see another man touch me."

"Because they had no business touching, looking, or walking in the same direction as you. I'm man enough to admit I was jealous."

"Because if a real man can admit he wears make up, everything else is cake right?"

"Oh so you gonna dis' my marking's? My mama gave me these marks," Sesshomaru sat up too fast for Inuyasha to see and froze when Sesshomaru's hand snatched out and grabbed his wrist, tugging forwards. The hanyou stiffened, eyes wide as saucers.

Sesshomaru let go right away, "Ya good?" He loosened his grip, and softly rubbed his thumb up and down Inuyasha's hand. "You know I wouldn't hurt you right?"

"I know," Inuyasha eased his hand free to rub up and down his arms, covered in goosebumps. It happened so fast. In a flash he saw his rapist and the moment of when everything turned grim. "I just get jumpy sometimes."

"S' cool. It was my fault. I shouldn't be playin' around like that," Sesshomaru scratched behind his head, embarrassed and in an effort to keep his hands from balling up in front of Inuyasha. That strike of fear made his stomach churn. Inuyasha had no business knowing what fear like that was.

They rolled into a dark, gloomy silence. Once or twice they caught the other staring and quickly looked in another direction. Sesshomaru couldn't bring himself to think of anything to fix the destroyed teasing and neither could Inuyasha.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night," Inuyasha announced in a rush and standing just as fast. "Just lock the door on your way out." And then he disappeared down the hall before Sesshomaru could fix his mouth and say good bye.

It was his fault. He'd fucked up the whole evening trying to be mischievous. All Sesshomaru thought about was those times when he and Inuyasha played around to the point where they'd in up wrestling on the bed, the couch or floor until it ended in a tickle match. Stupid him should've known better than to think it'd happen again. Not when the shadow of Inuyasha's attack refused to let him go. "Fuck," Sesshomaru cupped his face in his hands, thinking and knees bouncing up and down. He was growing pissed by the second.

Damn that son of a bitch to hell, he'd done so much to Inuyasha, the hanyou couldn't move passed being afraid of being touched. Inuyasha was stuck in that hell.

Sesshomaru stood up, needing to get some air. He walked to the door, glanced down and realized he wouldn't be able to lock the door without a key. He shook his head and walked down the hall to Inuyasha's bedroom to ask if he knew where the key was.

He eased inside the master bedroom, fondling around quietly through the dark when the sudden sound of water came jetting from the bathroom. Sesshomaru paused in the center of the room when a slither of light drew his attention to what lied inside. A burst of warmth flooded his pants and boiled where his dick strained behind his zipper, straining to be free. Inuyasha was there, stripping one article of clothing at a time.

One scarred leg eased out of baggy jeans, and then the other, pooling around his slender ankles. The plain white tee came off next, revealing a brand new world of lines and muscles. Cinnamon brown nibbles sat happily perched on top of softly swollen pectorals. Like the sweet decorations to a splendid desert, Sesshomaru felt the urge to lick the old planes that once knew his tongue.

Swallowing around his Adam's apple, Sesshomaru felt his fingers twitch at the urge to feel the newness that surrounded Inuyasha's body. Inuyasha wasn't perfect. Far from it really, but oh he had his own appeal that suited him just fine. Here and there were old cuts, scrapes and injuries from times Sesshomaru knew and others he didn't know. It made him wonder which ones where from that rapist and which weren't. Taking a deep breath, Sesshomaru shook his head and grasped the door knob and to close the door when Inuyasha stepped in the shower.

Sesshomaru didn't know what to make of himself as he walked to the front door. Like or not, those old feelings were staring to rise again. Being around Inuyasha was stirring those protective instincts in him.

He wanted to protect him from that fear. Help Inuyasha move on from that. Only time would tell how long.

As Sesshomaru shut the door, he pushed the key under the door and made his way to his car with a mission on hand. He was going to find out whom Inuyasha's rapist was and so help him, the fear that he implanted in Inuyasha would be returned tenfold.


End file.
